


A Shot Of Something Pretty Strong

by Ariomeo



Series: SoSPS [2]
Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Eventual Romance, First Gorrilaz fanfic, Fluff, Freeform, Friends to Lovers, He doesn't talk much, Humor, I don't know, I thought Russel needed some love, Japanese with translations, Kong Studios, Lots of awkwardness, M/M, Male!Reader- Freeform, Noodle is a dirty Shipper, Phase One (Gorillaz), Prepare to cringe at fashion, Reader befriends the band, Reader gets a crush on Russel pretty quick, Reader gets close to noodle, Roomates are sisterly to reader, Russel may be OOC, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, Sprinkles the Cat, Swearing, but like just a little one, early 2000s, eventual smut(?), im bad at tagging, male!reader, reader is an awkward mess, reader is originally american
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2018-11-21
Packaged: 2019-01-04 08:45:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 39,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12165489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariomeo/pseuds/Ariomeo
Summary: Sometimes you just need to get wasted and cry on the hood of someone's car. Sometimes that someone's car is your favorite band's car. Meh, it's not like you'll remember, right?(Male Reader Version for all you lovely boys out there!)***UNDER RENOVATION***





	1. Stupid 'Friends'

**Author's Note:**

> If you catch any mistakes please tell me, it would be much appreciated! Well, mistakes other than the obvious intentional ones. Thanks!  
> Update: I will try to post weekly on Wednesdays. But we'll see how that goes with school and everything! Enjoy.

When your shift ended you headed straight for the bar. You were exhausted. You didn’t usually go out drinking, but you needed to feel numb for a little while. Even if you were gonna feel shitty tomorrow morning. You didn’t have work anyway.

You pushed open the doors to the bar, the air was stale and smelt of alcohol. The music and the voices of the Friday night crowd blurred into white noise as you took an uncomfortable seat at the bar away from the other patrons. You weren’t looking for a sociable buzz, you kind of wanted to try and get shit faced. Do something you’ll regret. That sort of thing.

The bartender came over to you, and after looking at your ID asked what you wanted. You didn’t know alcohol and hesitated.

“A shot of something pretty strong?” You asked meekly. The bartender gave you a knowing look.

“Bad day at work?” They asked.

“Try a bad week.” You mumbled. They nodded and went off to get you your drink. They came back and set a shot of a brownish liquid in front of you. You nodded your head at them and raised your glass in a cheers sort of way before knocking back the drink. You scrunched your face up at the burn, coughing.

“Can I get like two more of these?” You asked. The drink was already starting to warm you up, and fog the corners of your thinking. Soon two more became three and after four became a blur. You sloppily pushed some bills into the bartender’s hands and got up. The crowd in the background was a jumble of noise, and the bartender’s “Ya got anyone coming for ya?” faded into it.

You pushed out into the cold, stumbling and humming. Your thoughts were jumbled, eyes unfocused, body much too warm. You scrunched your nose at the thought of going home just yet. You wrangled off your jacket, now just in your work shirt. Stupid job. Stupid house. As you watched the city flicker and cars pass by you found yourself giggling, you couldn’t even remember what you were upset about.

You blearily looked around you, seeing the little park that was near your house. Your face lit up. Yes, that was where you were going all along.

You cross the road without looking around and faintly register honking. Whatever. You were gonna swing on those swings.

Turns out the swings aren’t working. You couldn’t sit down on them, they kept moving around. It wasn’t like you even wanted to swing anyway. But you did know what you wanted to do, you were gonna do the monkey bars. You rocked at those.

You couldn’t seem to grab them though, they also kept moving around. What the hell was wrong with this park anyway? You somehow ended up lying in the grass next the park, with wood chips in your hair and your jacket somewhere over by the swings. The stars were a blur of lights. You reached up to touch them, to feel their warmth. But you couldn’t. Like you couldn’t do anything else.

This, this is why your friends didn’t bother to talk to you anymore. You were just a fuck up anyway. You were crying now, the heat from the drinks gone, your thoughts still frustratingly jumbled and your loneliness hitting you tenfold.

That’s when you heard it faintly in the distance. The melody so familiar, but in your mind trying to place it was trying to grab a wet fish with lotion-y hands. You giggled at the metaphor and pushed yourself into a standing position. You stumbled towards the music, walking into the road. You strained your ears to hear the lyrics better. ‘Feeling… hmmhmm… sunshine… hmmhmmhmm… the future is coming on’

“I know that ssooong!! Clint what- uh- Eastwood! Yup.” You laughed. You loved that song. You saw something in the distance. Headlights? The song was getting louder too! Suddenly the blaring of a horn and tires screeching was drowning out the song. You jumped at the sound, how rude!

A car skidded to a stop a few feet ahead of you, the music was coming from the car. You stumbled towards the car. Putting your hands on the the warm hood.

“I-I-I LOVE that soooooong!” You shouted over the music, big dopey grin on your face. These people had a good taste in music. The hood was so warm you just had to put your cheek against it. This was like a great big warm hug.

God you were pathetic.

You sunk to your knees ignoring the car doors opening and cried against the hood. Why were you always so pathetic and overemotional and lonely and dumb and caring and sad? Maybe it was your fault nobody likes you? What if you were weird or ugly or unlikable or clingy or or or-

There was a man standing in front of you. He was so tall you had to crane your head back to see his shadowed face.

"Am-am I weird?” You asked this stranger sniffling. They would tell you. You turned around and leaned back against the front of the car as it rumbled like a big cat. Your roommates would never let you have a pet. There were more people standing around you now. They were blurry and you were tired and that guy never answered your question so it must be true. You were crying again as they talked among themselves.

After a moment someone nudged your shoe and you looked up.

“W-what?” You questioned, halfheartedley wiping your face against your shirt. A raspy voice started.

“Uh, wha-what’s ya name, luv?” The tall guys asks. You tell him. Another voice soon interjects.

“Where in the dickens do you live, huh?” This voice is nasally and weird, but distinctly British like the other. Why were their voices so familiar? You looked around for landmarks. But it was too dark. How were you supposed to know that?

“I-I dunno! Where, uh, where do you live?” You ask. If he was gonna ask the question he should be able to answer it. Finally the big guy sighed.

“Do ya have a phone I could borrow?” He asked, his voice was deep and slightly american. You patted yourself down, looking for your phone. Shitshitshitshitshit! Where was your phone?

“My jacket!” You shouted looking around yourself. It was in your jacket pocket.

“Ohnoooooh-fuuuuuuuuuck.” You groaned. You lost your phone.

“Should we phone the police?” The tall guy asked, probably the police would find your phone. The other guys started talking again when you noticed a slightly smaller person hanging off to the side.

“Hi.” You said to them.

“Hi.” They said back. You were uncomfortable laying against the car so you opted to lay fully on the pavement. You closed your eyes. Time for bed. You started dozing off when you felt everything shift. You cracked your eyes open and see mr. american man picking you up. You clutched onto his shirt and buried your face into his shoulder. You lightly fell back asleep as he carried you into the car. The music around you fading away as you cuddled into his side after being buckled in. You registered to car moving before you passed out fully.


	2. Not today monsters

When you woke up you immediately registered two things. One, this is not your bed or your room and two, oh god you were about to throw up. You clamped a hand over your mouth and leaned over the side of the bed, seeing a trash bin. Which you then threw up in.

How many shots did you take? You felt like hell in a handbag. On the nightstand, there was a napkin with painkillers, a glass of water, a whole package of saltines and a note.

You took the pills and drank some of the water first. Struggling to open the package before giving in and using your teeth. You munched on half a cracker as you read the note.

'There’s a bathroom is directly across the hall if you need it.'

Well mysterious note writer, you did need to use the bathroom. Even if all of this did seem super sketchy. You put the other half of cracker in your mouth as you slowly pushed yourself up, still in your work clothes. You stubbed your toes on your shoes as you passed by. Well, that’s one mystery solved. You opened the door and left the very motel-like room into a hallway full that might as well been taken out of the shining or any other horror game.

You hurried into the bathroom checking to make sure there were no monsters before you ran through the hallway. This bathroom contained bathroom stalls oddly. So you weren’t in a house? Maybe a rundown hotel? But it seemed very quiet. A weird apartment complex thing? You questioned as you quickly peed and washed your hands. Looking yourself over in the mirror confirmed you were a mess. You raked your fingers through your hair to try to tame it and rinsed your mouth out with water to try to have some semblance of hygiene.

You pushed your way out of the bathroom and back into the barren scary horror movie hallway. You dashed back into your room and closed the door.

Not today monsters.

That’s when you noticed a very large black man with pure white eyes sitting on your bed. You jumped and gasped, startled by his presence and his eyes.

“Uh, hey.” You said approaching him, putting your hand up in an awkward wave. He stood, but before he could say anything you started to talk.

“Thanks for taking care of me, last night and this morning. I promise I usually don’t do that sort of thing and I apologize if I did anything dumb.” You said quickly, feeling embarrassed a total stranger came to your rescue. Even if they did bring you to a creepy place.

“It’s fine. We couldn’t just leave you out on the street like that.” He said, though looking off to the side to hide a faint blush. Why would he be blushing?

You remembered curling up into his side in the car. Your face got hot too. Why drunk me?! Why would you do that?! You thought embarrassed. Do you mention it or pretend to have forgotten?

“But you didn’t tell us where your phone or house was so we decided to bring you here.” He explained. You paused.

“Where is here, anyway?” You asked tentatively, wringing your hands.

“Kong Studios?” He said, looking at you. Or at least you thought he was. With his white eyes- OH MY GOD.

“You-you-you-you-you’re Russel Hobbs.” You said incredulously. The band Gorillaz picked up your sorry drunk ass last night. Your favorite band ever. Whelp, this is dandy. Fantastic!!!

“Yeah.” He replied simply.

“Well, this has been great, thank you for everything,” You looked at your bare wrist, walking over and picking up your shoes. “Oh! Look at the time I really need to go, uh, home!” You said, face flaring. What were you doing, what were you doing, what were you doing?

You opened the door, looking up and down the horror hallway. Both ways looked identical. You turned around, and looked at him helplessly. You pointed at the hall.

“I don’t, uh, know, how to leave.” You said, face flushing even brighter. Why do you do these things?

“Lemme show you.” He said, walking towards you. He paused in front of you before you understood what he was waiting for and moved out of the doorway. You stared at your still socked feet, eyes darting to the back of his shoes every once and awhile. The silence was heavy and awkward, but you hoped that was just you. You came up to an elevator, he gestured for you walk in first. You smiled and breathed a thank you that he somehow heard. He walked in with you and clicked the ground floor button. The harsh white lights of the elevator made your headache hurt more but you managed to find your words.

“I love your music, I’m sorry I’m acting so weird, I’m just, embarrassed? I guess because I got so out of hand and you guys had to see me like that…” You said trying to explain your funny behavior. He paused a moment, and you wondered if he was going to answer you.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. Happens to the best of us.” He said, quickly glancing back at you. You avoided his gaze, what was with the pet name all of the sudden? He must use that on a lot of people.

The elevator doors slipped open and he stepped out first, waiting for you to get out before he started walking again. Your knees felt a bit noodly from the elevator, and you stumbled over your own feet as you exited. He thankfully pretended not to notice and continued onwards. You paused, bracing yourself against the dirty purple wall and quickly slipped on your shoes. When they were both on your feet you jogged forward to catch up with his fast strides.

When he stopped you narrowly avoided crashing into him. You heard footsteps approaching down the hallway. You wondered who it could be, this place was so big and so empty. You glanced around Russel, only to see a green man in only a towel sauntering towards you both. You sucked in a surprised breath, and covered your eyes, standing stock still behind Russel.

Almost naked green man? That had to be Murdoc Niccals. If your maybe best friend could see you now…! They were in love with Murdoc, and with how he could play the bass you could sorta see why. Even if everything else about him was pretty repulsing.

You had your hand still covering your eyes when you heard Murdoc’s voice maybe a few feet to your left now.

“Hey there Russ, hey there gorgeous.” He greeted, his tone much more sultry than you would have liked when he addressed you. You lifted a hand and waved in his direction, still not moving your hand away from your eyes.

“Thanks for taking care of me, I really appreciate that.” You told him, smiling. You didn’t see his reaction of course, but you did hear a low growl coming from Russel’s direction? Did he just make that noise?

“Murdoc! Go put some pants on at least, can’t you see you're making the poor boy uncomfortable?” He scolded. You finally realized how childish you were being and took your hand away from your eyes, just in time to see Murdoc cast a wary glance at Russel, and send a wink at you since you were finally looking at him. His black hair looked super silky, and his skin was actually green??? He sauntered off past you again, though maybe his steps were a bit more hurried.

“Sorry bout’ that. He’s always like that.” Russel said, but this time when he started walking you fell in step next to him. You looked around at the mostly barren halls, there was a poster or picture here and there and some garbage outside of a few doors. You’ve lived in worse places.

“It’s fine, it just surprised me. I'm used to people walking around like they’re home alone all the time. Even though they know that two other people live with them…” You grumbled thinking of your roommate Marilynn who always walked around near in the nude. That’s one reason you couldn’t have any friends over. Also ever since you moved overseas to a lonely island for an internship. Which (now unsurprisingly) turned out to suck. So you dropped from the program a few months later. But by that time you didn’t have the money for a plane ticket home, didn’t have a job, or really a place to stay. So much for your dream job in an exciting new country.

“But anyway… may I ask what time it is?” You questioned, realizing that you didn’t have that much information on your current situation. Russel looked at the watch on his wrist.

“A little past nine.” He said, before hurriedly adding, “At night.”

“What?! How was I out for so long? I’m so screwed, do I count as a missing person yet? My roommates are gonna be so pissed when I get home. And I have work in the morning!” You were so screwed, how did you even sleep for that long? What time did you even go to sleep? What was in those shots? How long would it take you to walk home? Or maybe you could catch a bus? You didn’t even know where Kong Studio was.

“You okay?” Russel asked, when you looked up at him you were sitting on the floor. If you were late you would get fired, and your roommates would have to pick up the slack and then you would all be homeless and broke.

“Can I, uh, can I have bus directions to wherever you guys found me?” You asked weakly. This was fine. You could do this. You could do this. You should have just fallen asleep in the grass. At the park. Where your phone was. That’s another mystery solved.

“O-Or could I borrow your phone to call a c- Just kidding I don’t have my wallet. That’s also in my jacket.” You grumbled. “Or just point me towards the general direction to where you found me?” You mumbled. It was useless. You were either stuck here or in for a reeeaaaaally long walk. You wished you had grabbed more crackers. Wait, a cab was paid when you got to your destination right? You could just go to the park and maybe your wallet would still be there-

“I can give ya ride.” He offered, putting out a hand to help you up. You looked up, hesitating for a moment before taking his hand. It dwarfed your own as he pulled you up with ease.

“B-But, you guys have already have done so much for me… I couldn’t ask that of you.” You said, looking down at his shoes, they were pretty nice.

“But you’re not asking, sweetheart. I’m offering.” He said. You looked up at his face, finally meeting his eyes. They were so white, and they contrasted nicely against his dark skin. You never really looked at him before. He was sharply dressed, but in a casual way. And he was wearing a hat that cast shadows over his face. You realized that you were staring, and quickly looked away from his eyes.

“Th-Thanks, geez, I really owe ya.” You said sheepishly. He looked so nice and here you were, hair messy, teeth unbrushed, no doubt wearing smudged up makeup. You must also reek like alcohol. Great. And to top it all off, you still felt like shit. You wanted to shower so bad, and maybe to eat something. When was the last time you ate? Yesterday’s lunch break, if you didn’t count the one cracker you ate when you woke up.

As if on cue your stomach growled. You weren’t even sure if you could keep any food down right now, and now you had a traitorous stomach. You nervously giggled.

“Maybe, we uh should get going then?” You asked, and quieter you mumbled without thinking, “I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.” When you realized he probably heard you quickly added.

“Making a fool of myself in front of a member of my favorite band! That is! Sorry...” You decided that that was enough talking.

“Yeah, we can go.” He started walking again, and you let yourself fall a few steps behind him. You were worried that you had offended him, but didn’t want to ruin it more with talking. So you quietly beat yourself up as you passed a kitchen, more mysterious rooms, a weird jukebox, and what seemed like a receptionist desk. You looked out the windows, the first you had seen, and saw that it was in fact very dark out.

He led you into another elevator, this one led down into a garage. You followed him towards a car that looked surprisingly normal. You knew sometimes big celebrities bought expensive cars that went much too fast.

As you got into the passenger seat and noted that Russel was quite gentlemanly as he held open your door for you. As Russel was getting in the driver’s side the elevator beeped, drawing both of your attention. When the elevator doors opened Noodle bounded out.

“まって！いきたい！” (Wait! I want to go!) She shouted. From when you took Japanese in high school you understood what that meant. You look over at Russel.

“She wants to come with us.” You translated. Russel looked at you with surprise.

“You understand Japanese?” He asked you.

“Yeah, I took it in high school.” You said nervously. Noodle came up to the car and hopped in the back seat, buckling her seat belt. Well, what better way to make friends than make a fool of yourself in a different language? Russel turned the car on.

“あの、Noodleさんですか?” (Uh, you’re Noodle?) You asked, even though you knew the answer. You just wanted her to know you could speak Japanese….kinda. She looked surprised.

“にほんごをできますか?” (Can you speak Japanese?) She asked. Just to make sure.

”すこし、できます。こうこうににほんごをべんきょうしました。” (I can, a bit. I studied Japanese in high school.) You explained. She smiled widely.

”アメリカじんですか?” (Are you american?) After hearing your accent she must have known.

”そうです。” (That’s right.) You confirmed.

She seemed very excited about being understood for once.

“かこいい！” (Cool!) She exclaimed. You giggled, Russel just looked a bit lost as he pulled out of the large garage and into the driveway, flanked on both sides by a cemetery. He drove slowly down the drive, the gravel underneath crunching under the car. You and noodle exchanged small talk, and you tried to fill Russel in as much as you could on what was happening. Though there were times you had to ask her to slow down or clarify.

Russel was an extremely cautious driver, it turned out. You still hadn’t gotten quite used to the driving on the opposite side of the road thing yet. It just felt weird.

Their music played softly in the background and you found yourself humming softly to the melody whenever either Noodle or Russel were talking.

When there was a lull in the conversation, you stopped humming, not wanting to seem like a crazy fanboy or whatever these guys encountered all the time. But in reality, you were just another fanboy, huh? Just a really lucky one.

“Uh, Russel before you take me all the way home could we maybe stop by the place you guys found me? I think there’s a park nearby and I'm pretty sure that’s where I left all my stuff.” You asked. He glanced over at you. Sitting down he seemed that much taller than you.

“Sure. Course we can.” He said. You looked away. These people were like something right out of a movie. A much different kind of movie than their house though. Even if you never met 2D. Which you tell yourself that you totally don’t mind.

Noodle pokes your arm, pulling your attention back to her.

“なに？” (What?) You asked, turning slightly to face her better.

”Russelさんがすきですか？” (Do you like Russel?) She asked, waggling her eyebrows. Russel looked over at the mention of his name. He shot you a questioning look.

”どのような「すき」なの…？” (What kind of ‘like’...?) You asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously yet playfully.

”きみをわかる〜” (You know~) She giggled. You were using casual now, huh? You stuck your tongue out at her.

“Russelをしらない！” (I don’t know him!) You shot back. How could you like someone you just met like that? Noodle just smirked and laughed. Russel was now fully listening.

“What’s going on? Why ya’ll saying my name?” He asked, looking at you.

“No reason! Noodle was just asking me something about you. Not important.” You said as convincingly as you could.

Russel gave you a disbelieving look but turned his eyes back to the road.

“「いいえ」といわなかった。”(You didn’t say no.) She teased. This time you just rolled your eyes and looked back at the road. Russel pulled off to the side. You raised an eyebrow at him.

“This is where we found you. Where to from here?” He asked. Noodle leaned forwards until she was leaning on her elbows in between you two. She looked between you two with a smile. You gathered your bearings, recognizing the street.

“Oh uh, it’s actually just up the street. Take a left at the stop sign.” Russel followed your directions, turning, and seeing the little park he pulled over and parked. You were surprised when everyone got out. Noodle ran over to Russel, who picked her up and put her on his back for piggyback ride.

You started searching around the park when you heard noodle shout.

“ここ！” (Here!) She exclaimed. You watched her slide off Russel’s back skipping over to the swings, where she picked up a jacket. Your jacket!

You jogged over, and she handed you the jacket. You pulled out your phone, keys, and wallet from the zip-up pockets. You first opened your wallet, everything was still in there, thank god. Next, you turned on your phone, which had a very low percentage, and tons of missed calls and texts from your roomies. Shit. At least it was only almost midnight? That gave you a good solid 5ish hours of sleep if you ate and quickly showered and got yelled at!

You stuffed your stuff back into your pockets, zipped it up, and picked up Noodle in a hug.

“Thank you!” You said, smiling.

“N-No probremu!” She said sheepishly in English. You chuckled and set her down. She pointed at the swings smiling. You were down. You looked over at Russel.

“I know it’s late but would five more minutes hurt? She’s probably gonna fall asleep in the car anyway.” You reasoned. He sighed and smiled.

“Okay, sure.” He conceded. You smiled wide. Noodle picked up on this, running towards the swings. You slipped on your slightly bark-y jacket and sat on the swings with her. She started swinging her legs to gain height.

“でも！おそくです。それから、ごふん…ｍore?” (But! It’s late. So, five minutes...more?) You trailed off questioningly. You didn’t know how to say that just right but she seemed to get it anyway. She nodded, and you, too, started pumping your legs.

You gained some height when all the sudden Noodle started laughing and shot past you. You turned around to see that Russel had pushed her. He locked eyes with you and smirked, then you felt yourself being pushed forward, his hand pushing against the small of your back. You laughed at the feeling in your stomach as you swung. You don’t remember the last time you felt this kind of unadulterated happiness. Soon you let your feet drag against the ground, before thinking better of it and jumping off the swinging swing. You flailed for a second before coming to a skidding landing on your butt. You turned around, laughing harder.

Noodle was laughing, and Russel was chuckling. You pushed yourself up and brushed the bark off your pants and butt.

“わたしも!” (Me too!) Noodle called out. You stood back, goofy smile on your face.

“Be careful!” You replied. She let herself slow down a bit and then jumped. She went pretty high, it had you worried. But she landed perfectly on her feet, like a cat.

“Geez! You scared me for a second there!” You exclaimed. She looked at you and cocked her head. You just smiled wide and gave her a thumbs up.

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I think five minutes is up.” Russel said. You smiled.

“Yeah it is, isn’t it?” You agreed reluctantly. You didn't want this to be over, you were really gonna miss them.

“いこ!” (Let’s go!) You said, putting your hand out. Noodle came over and grabbed your hand. You walked back to the car and opened the door for her. You can’t really remember liking children, but Noodle had really grown on you in the past couple of hours. You couldn’t believe you’d never see them again unless you went to a concert or watched videos. But it wouldn’t be the same. Not even close.

You got in the passenger side and buckled up, checking that they buckled up too. You gave Russel directions half-heartedly. From the park, you were only a few blocks away. When you finally pulled up to where your shared flat was, you didn’t want to get out of the car. To go back to stress and loneliness and mundanity. But you needed to rip off the band-aid if not for your own, then for Noodle’s sake. You smiled, at both of them.

“Thanks for everything Russel, I-I had a lot of fun, even if I made a fool of myself a few times.” You chuckled.

“Do you want me to walk you to the door? Ya know, just in case.” He offered.

“Well, since you’re offering…” You smiled wide. You got out of the car, glancing back at Noodle, who also was getting out of the car.

You walked the short distance up to your flat with the drummer and guitarist of Gorillaz in tow. You pulled out your keys and unlocked your door, grabbing the handle. You looked at Russel, unsure if it would be okay to hug him. You decided to put your hand out for an awkward handshake. He chuckled, grabbing your hand and pulling you in for a kind of hug. You laughed. He smelled nice.

“Bye.” You mumbled.

“Bye.” He said. His voice rumbled in his chest under your ear.

You pulled back after a few seconds, kneeling and giving Noodle a big hug, too. She wrapped her arms around your neck, and lightly bumped her helmet against your ear. You didn’t mind though.

“Noodleちゃん、さよなら…” （Noodle, Goodbye...)You said, eyes watering a bit.

”さよなら?” (Goodbye?) She pulled back quickly, holding you at arm’s length. “いいえ。じゃね。” (No. See you later.)

”しょうがない。” (It can’t be helped.) You tried to explain. Her look told her that she didn't feel the same.

”でんわ。” (Phone.) She demanded. You fished it out and give it to her, confused. She started to mess around with it. “じゃあ,わたしのでんわばんごうをおしえました。” (There, I gave you my number. ) She smiled, handing back your phone. She hugged you again.

“じゃね！” (See you later!) She said, bouncing back to the car with a wink.

”じゃね。” (See you later.) You called. You stood and straightened.

“She uh, gave me her number, apparently.” You said nervously. You looked at her contact. You giggled at the smiley face she added next to her name. He grinned, putting his hand out. You put your phone in his hand, fingertips brushing his palm. He also added his contact into your phone. He handed it back.

“You know, you should keep this on the down low, though. But you know that.” He said.

“Of course! My lips are sealed.” You acted out zipping your lips and throwing away the key, immediately feeling embarrassed by your action. Russell laughed, and you smiled. He had a nice laugh. He ruffled your already messy hair.

“G’night. Keep in touch kid.” He said, turning around to leave.

“Nighty night! I will.” You said. Finally turning and opening the door as he got back into the car. You slipped inside quietly, hanging up your house keys and tiptoeing towards the bathroom for some good ol’ personal hygiene.

When you finally turned on the bathroom light you heard a door open up behind you. You quickly spun around to see your roommate, Marilynn.

“Where 'ave you been?!” She demanded. “And why the 'ell didn’t you answer your damn phone?!”


	3. Your Alarm Goes off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was writing this I realized, Phase 1 meant this was in the early 2000s. So I decided to try to make this as 'historically' accurate as I could. So enjoy~!

Well shit, there goes your relaxing shower. You sighed. You really needed to shower.

“I’ll explain while I shower okay?” You offered, going into the bathroom and starting to strip. You guys were practically siblings at this point. And there was a shower curtain.

“Alaina! Bathroom meeting!” Marilynn called. You turned on the water, pulled a towel out of the towel closet and stripped fully, hopping under the spray. The warm water felt heavenly on your skin, you wet your hair and body as the door closed.

“Kay, we’re both ‘ere. Explain yourself.” Marilynn prompted. You sighed reaching for your shampoo.

“First off. I’m sorry. That was a shitty thing for me to do.” You started. You heard two hums of approval.

“Let me start from the beginning. After work I kinda let myself get wasted at the pub, well, not kinda, I got wasted. And I wandered around and stopped a car to cry on their hood and passed out. At this point, I lost my phone at the park.” You washed the soap out of your hair.

“When I woke up it was already night again, like a few hours ago…” You couldn’t say where you were, could you? Half-lie time.

“And I the owner of the car I cried on took me back to their house, and yes that was kinda sketchy, but I didn’t tell them where I lived and didn’t have a phone. So they were kind enough to drive me back to the park to get my stuff and then drive me home. And I would have called you guys but I was asleep all day and didn’t have my phone. But these people had a kid and were super nice, and I’m sorry but I really really really needed to not be sober for a little while.” You ended, rinsing the conditioner out of your hair and turning off the water.

“You guys are really quiet. Please say something.” You pleaded, wrapping your towel around yourself and pulling back the curtains. They were sitting on the hamper and the toilet, just looking at you, arms crossed. You braced yourself for the flood of questions.

Mary just sighed.

“You ‘ungry? There’s some leftovers in the fridge.” She said, standing. You were shocked, that’s it? No demanding exactly where you had stayed? Why you got wasted?

“Th-That’s it?” You squeaked, “You’re not furious with me? Not gonna ask me a million questions?”

Alaina just looked at you and patted your wet cheek before wiping her hand off on your towel.

“What’s done is done. You ‘ave work in the morning, and you clearly are sorry. We were worried, yeah. But you’re safe now, and it’s late. Just eat somefin and go to bed. We’ll talk more tomorrow, okay?” She explained. “And I’m tired. Wakin’ me up at ungodly hours.” She added.

You gave them nervous looks but went to the kitchen to microwave some food anyway. While you heated the food you quickly brushed your teeth and cleaned up your face, when the microwave dinged you rinsed out your mouth and went to it. Mmm. You tested the temperature of the plate before picking it up and going back to your room. Now look who’s the one walking around in only a towel?

In your room, you plugged in your phone, put on some underwear and pajamas before sitting cross-legged and eating your food. Apparently, multitasking gave you another sweet half hour of sleep. You put the plate down on the floor and snuggled into your covers. After of course double checking your phone was plugged in and that the alarm was set correctly. You fell asleep and dreamt of laying in the grass and staring up at the stars. Laughing, and not alone.

When your alarm woke you up at 6am sharp you wanted to cry. You literally rolled out of bed, landing on the plate.

“Shit!” You whispered-shouted, getting up. It wasn’t broken. Everything is fine. You groaned, your dream was just getting good. You brushed your teeth, and used the toilet, skipping the shower and going to get ready for work. Another long shift at the grocery store. Stupid coworkers having children who need birthday parties. Stupid you for being so nice and needing money.

You pulled on your work clothes, brushing your hair, and applying a scant amount of makeup. Might as well look good for you if your feet were gonna hurt all day.

You grabbed a bowl of cereal and made sure you had everything. Phone, check. Wallet, check. Name tag, check. House keys, check. You were good to go.

You left the house, grabbing your jacket and walking to work.

Work was work. People asking dumb questions, standing on your feet all day, and having to deal with crabby co-workers. So what if it was the weekend? You need money, so shut up and deal with it.

When work was over and you had clocked out you began your walk home, wanting nothing more than a bag of chips. Or, uh, crisps. Whatever you wanted to call it, that’s what you wanted. That and maybe a good book, or an interesting movie. Or to listen to music until you fell asleep.

You got to your door, absolutely exhausted, and unlocked it. You pushed it open, hanging up your keys and locking behind you again. You walked into the kitchen found a bag of whatever-ya-call-’ems and headed to your room. Probably just gonna zone out and listen to music.

You flopped down on your bed, opening the bag with a satisfying pop. You popped your CD into your hand-me-down Discman. It was loud and you were content. You were munching away happily when you decided to text your new found friends. You cuddled further into your pillows. You first clicked on Noodle’s number. Quick and to the point text, in Japanese. That was hard to get it to let you write in another language. So you wrote the usual ‘Hey it’s me.’ Pretty much.

Then you did the same for Russel. Before letting your phone fall back down onto the bed. A Gorillaz song came up. You entertained yourself by trying to listen for just their respective instruments.

Then finally your phone dinged. You wondered who it was.

Russel:

Hey.

You:

What’s up?

Plain and simple. Perfect. You mentally patted yourself on the back.

Russel:

Nothing much. Just got done with practice.

How about you?

You:

Just got off work. Listening to music.

Russel:

Cool. What kind of music?

Shit. Do you admit you’re listening to their music? Would that be flattering or creepy? You hope it’s flattering because you are too tired to make something up on the spot.

You:

Uh… Your music actually! You guys are really something.

Russel:

Good to hear. Have you texted Noodle yet?

You:

Yeah, but she hasn’t texted back yet.

Your door swung open. It was Aliana. She tapped her ears, so you pulled off your headphones.

“What is it?” You asked. You heard your phone ding, and your fingers twitched, wanting to pick it up to see what he said.

“We need groceries. And I was wondering if you could pick up a few thin’s since you ‘ave an employee discount? Pretty please with a cherry on top?” She gave you puppy dog eyes. It’s not like you had just been there for 8 hours.

“Fine! Do you have a list?” You groaned. Damn your kindness.

“Yeah! And some money. You’re the best, I love you!” She exclaimed. She went to go get the list and money.

“You’re gonna owe me ‘Laina!” You called out to her. You pulled yourself out of bed. You put your Discman in your jacket. Your phone dinged again as she walked up and handed you some money and the list. She blew a kiss at you as you grabbed your keys and wallet.

Outside of the flat, you let your legs lead you to the store as you checked your phone. You had new messages from both Noodle and Russel.

Russel:

Oh well, she probably left her phone in her room.

Noodle:

こんばんは！(Good evening!)

You decide to text back Russel first.

You:

Oh, she did just text me. And guess where I have to go? Back to work. :(

Then you text Noodle.

You:

ヌドルちゃん、こんばんは！おげんきですか？(Good evening, Noodle! How are you?)

You walk for a while before your phone buzzes again. It’s Russel.

Russel:

Why’s that?

You:

My roommates wanted me to go pick up stuff from the store. Because I get an employee discount and all that jazz.

Russel:

That makes sense.

But hey, do you wanna come over sometime? Noodle would be super excited to see you. I could come pick you up.

Yes. Yes, you did want to go back. You felt like you had to say something witty. A simple sure didn’t cut it, but you also couldn’t be overly excited and weird.

You:

If you’re offering, then I’d love to come by. I’m free Friday and Saturday.

A rarity, getting two days off in a row. And with you sleeping away your last off day you were really looking forward to those days. You would be happy to spend them with those two. You were excited. You checked your messages, one from Russel and one from Noodle.

Russel:

Yeah. Hows about Friday? I can come by at like two. But you might have to sit through a practice session. Muddy has us do ‘em every day at four or five.

You:

Sounds great! And I wouldn’t mind at all. Geez, now I’m excited.

You walk back into the store, checking the list and waving at your weary-eyed coworker. Same friend, same. You think. You weave around the isles, feet tapping to the music. When you’re sure no one is looking you do a spin in time to the music, putting a box of cereal into your basket. You tip a fake hat. You burst out in giggles. You look over and clear your throat when you see an old lady looking at you from the end of the hallway. You regret nothing.

You grab a couple more things and bob your head to the music as you make your way to the front. Your co-worker, Greg, rang your items up and swiped your ID card to get you the employee discount. You thanked him, took your change and bags and left the store. A much more mellow song came on, and damn if it didn’t make you feel sexy. You swayed your hips a bit more to the music, humming along. When you got to your flat you set down a heavier bag fishing around in your pocket for your keys. You unlocked the door and called out.

“Honey! I’m home!” You giggled. You picked up your bag and went inside, closing the door with your foot and almost losing your balance. You went to the right to go set some things down on the island separating the living space from the kitchen. Once you put down all of your bags and the extra change you went to go hang up your keys, remembering to lock the door.

You flopped down on the couch, checking your phone again. You talked to Noodle for a bit and finalized plans with Russel. You don’t know when but at some point you fell asleep on the couch.

When you wake up sometime later you promptly scrabble around for your phone to check the time. Thank god. You had only been sleeping for about an hour. You look over and registered the groceries had been put away, and the TV was on in front of you. Marilynn was sitting next to you. She looked over at you, turning the sound down.

“Did I wake ya?” She asked. You shook your head, sitting up all the way and stretching.

“Who put away the groceries?” You asked though you had a hunch on who it was.

“Me, who else?” She chuckled. “Oh and thanks for goin’ shoppin’. That was nice of ya.” She said. Mary always was the more responsible of your roommates, even if she did walk around in the near-nude sometimes.

“No problem, and thanks. Ya hungry?” You asked standing. It was past a reasonable dinner time but whatever you were gonna cook a meal.

“Yeah, whatcha makin’?” She asked. You shrugged and went into the kitchen turning on the light and drinking from the faucet. You surveyed the food you had, pasta was easy and never hurt.

“Uh, spaghetti.” You decided, pulling out your needed ingredients and utensils. After you ate you headed straight for bed. You dreamt about being in a car, soft music playing in the background, windows down, and watching the city lights go by. In this dream you weren’t alone either, there was a deep rumbling voice, and a higher voice. You couldn’t make out what they were saying but you knew.

The next day was much of the same, as were most of your days. Rinse and Repeat. But that meant only 4ish more days until you got to do something fun. You text your new found friends. You talk to your roommates, tell them you’re gonna be gone Friday. They are excited.

Your alarm goes off. 3ish more days left. After work, you stop and get ice cream. Any weather is ice cream weather. You sit at the park and swing on the swings. You wonder why no kids come here. Dang kiddos not appreciating a good park. You close your eyes and remember when you were back being a kid. You hated adulting sometimes. Yeah, the freedom was great, but sometimes you just wanted to just lay there and not exist for a few moments. Have no one need anything from you. You finish your ice cream, hurting your teeth with the cold. You swing for a bit. You let yourself imagine back to that night here with Noodle and Russel. Then you feel creepy and go home to get something to eat.

Your alarm goes off. You accidentally take a longer shower than you had expected to. Now you didn’t get to eat breakfast and you had to jog to work. Great. Only 2ish more days left. Saying work sucked is an understatement. You have never been thrown up on. Well, you wish you could say that. At least you got an extra long lunch break to go home to shower and change, off the books. So much for that shower this morning. You don’t even bother to eat when you’re done. You just go back to work and ignore the pitying and amused glances of your coworkers. When you finally get to go home you don’t. You stop by the library. You were paid today, like every other Wednesday. Which is nice, even if most of it would go to rent and food and grown-up stuff. But hey, you could look at books. You check one out and go home. You spend the rest of the day reading.

Your alarm goes off. Tomorrow is the day. You’re so excited you put your shirt on backwards and have to turn it around at work. How embarrassing! You went about your day as normally as you could, even if your coworkers kept making fun of you. You were practically vibrating with how excited you were by the time your shift ended. You waved goodbye to your coworkers and sped walked home. When you got there you were giddy. No work tomorrow and something to do!

You ran to your room and shot hellos at your roomies. You went straight to your closet. You wanted to look good tomorrow. You felt like you were getting ready for a date. No. Not a date. Not a date! You think about going on a date with Russel, what would that even be like? You didn’t know, but your cheeks were warming at the thought.

Stop being creepy!

You look through your clothes. Maybe a tank top? It was getting pretty warm. Summers here reminded you of home. Even if you only had experienced a few. Would a button down be too dressy? Or would a simple T-shirt be good? You don’t know how to do these kinds of things.

A quick knock on the door is all the warning you got before your two roommates came in.

“Whaddaya doin…?” Mary smirked.

“Yeah, whatcha getting ready for? The same something happening tomorrow, maybe?” She squeaked. You were like a deer caught in headlights. What do you tell them? The half-truth, of course.

“I-I’m just meeting a friend?” You tried. Their grins got wider.

“You’re going on a date aren’t you!” Mary exclaimed while Alaina pretended to fake cry with happiness.

“N-n-n-no!” You denied. You were not going on a date. You were just going to go hang out with your friends. No big deal. Nope.

“Oh don’t lie, you’re a terrible liar.” Alaina groaned. She saw the tank top in your hand that you had just been deliberating. She got a very stern look on her face.

“No. No. No. You are not wearing that for a first date, missy. Mary look! He’s trying to wear that to meet his mysterious prince charming!” Alaina shouted, going over and pulling the tank top away from you.

“We are gonna pick your outfit,” Marilynn said, going over to your closet and going through it, she grabbed a few items. Alaina joined her, before running back into her room.

“Mary! What about this?” She called. Marilynn gave you a stay put look. So naturally, you followed her to your doorway. She disappeared into Alaina’s room before you heard her ‘oooh!’ in approval.

“Wait wait wait! I know something that would go perfectly with that!” Mary darted past into her room, and you caught a glimpse of white as she ran by. You took a hesitant step into the hall, before thinking ‘screw it’ and going into Alaina’s room. On her messy bed, she had an outfit all laid out. White jeans you bought once on a whim, a pastel pink collared shirt with a white t-shirt, and a choker to match. Mary looked at the outfit before clapping her hands together.

“Is he tall?” She asked you, you stared at the outfit.

“I’m not-” She shot you a look, “Yeah.” You conceded. Geez, so much for ‘I’m not going on a date!’. She added diamond earrings to the mix. Okay, you couldn’t wear that tomorrow!

“Guys. I’m not going on a date tomorrow!” You shouted. They turned to look at you.

“That’s too much, I-I can’t handle that much attention on me with those pants, and I will not wear those earrings.” You added.

“Well, you weren’t flustered for nothing!” Alaina pointed out. You looked to the side.

“Fiiiiine.” Mary said, pulling the pants and earrings away. She came back with some light blue distressed jeans and some plain tennis white shoes.

“Better?” She asked. You imagined walking around in that. You could do that. You think.

“Yeah, but it’s not-” You started.

“Not a date, yeah, yeah, yeah. But we do know you’re going and meeting a tall guy, and may not be back until much after dark~ A tall mystery guy that you got all flustered and giddy for!” Alaina teased. When she phrased it like that it sounded, dirty, almost. But you didn’t deny the statement. You knew it would be of no use to.

“Also, mess up you ‘air, it looks better that way. Hey, these are facts. And I’m lending you my pepper spray because you never know. Ya know what. Here.” She started getting a small bag together. Then she handed it to you. You went to look inside of it but Mary stopped you. Tsking you.

“No, wait until your not-date starts to look inside, okay? Promise me that.” She demanded. You took the bag.

“Fine, I promise.” You grumbled. They got the clothes together and gave them to you. You were about to leave when you turned around and pulled both into a group hug.

“Thanks, guys!” You said, smiling. Then you quickly went   
back to your room to read until you fell asleep.

You dreamt of your childhood home in ruins, you were trapped inside. On the other side of a broken and grimy window, you saw your street and your roommates. They were looking for you. You pounded on the glass. You felt a large hand slip around your neck, lightly squeezing. You didn’t struggle, you knew it would be alright. More than alright.

Another hand pushed your shirt down one of your shoulders, and you felt a pair of lips graze the sensitive skin there. You shivered and sucked in a breath. You received a deep chuckle and a soft nip. You could tell where this was going. It had been so long. The hand unoccupied was at your waist, and travelling down. Your heart started to beat faster.

Your alarm goes off.


	4. Just In Case

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You start your not-date and get some Reader-Noodle bonding time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr is kohichan(https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kohichan) if you want updates on when a new chapter is posted or how it's coming along! I also post my art there, so yeah!
> 
> New Chapter! This story really has blown up, at least by my standards. Wow! Comments are great, so don't be afraid to write 'em! They are good feedback and make me very happy. Okay, that's all, happy reading!

You had never been so upset in your life to be woken up. And why the hell was your alarm on. You turned off the alarm and pushed it off the desk in spite. It was fine, but you were not. You lied in bed a while longer, mourning your dream and longing for the hyper-realistic touch of an unknown man. You groaned. Fuck it. You were awake, might as well get ready for the day.  
Being the first up you took a nice long shower, trying to get the sensations from your dreams out of your head. You dried your hair and put on your not-date clothes. With clean and brushed hair you had to admit you looked pretty good in that outfit.  
You decided to make pancakes. You tried a strawberry pancake recipe you remembered using when you were younger. The first few turned out a bit… crispy, but the rest were fine. You ate your pancakes in silence. What time was it? Your phone said 8am. Dammit. Why couldn’t you have just fallen back asleep and maybe continue where you had left off? But then again you wouldn’t have strawberry pancakes. Well guess you just had to find ways to kill some time.  
You read a bit of your library book. Your roommates had just left, after shouting tips at you for your not-date, and quick thanks for the pancakes. But only an hour and a half had passed. TV time.  
Noon, how could it only be noon?! Maybe you needed to take a walk and listen to music. So that’s what you did. You walked to the park, sat in the shade and watched the couple of kids playing there for once. You lazily watched the clouds go by, mouthing the lyrics to your current song. When you had had enough of that you went back home.  
Well, now what? You made sure you were completely ready, you even grabbed your phone charger and a toothbrush, just in case. You put them in the bag Mary lent you. You could look around in the bag. No! You promised. But why would you have to promise to do something as simple as ‘don’t look inside this bag until you leave?’. Seemed suspicious. But you’re not a promise breaker.  
You decide to make a snack or something for Russel, and possibly Noodle. The car ride was pretty long. You grabbed two water bottles just in case, and put the rest of the pancakes in the fridge into a tupperware container for them. Yes. A perfect gift, you think. But, what if they get offended by that? They are rich, no doubt, so they must have personal chefs to cook for them or something.  
Whatever, this is fine. Food is always a good gift. But for the ride? Granola bars it is. Perfect. More TV? Or maybe you should do something with your hair? Nah, TV time.  
You plopped down on the couch to watch daytime television. Eventually, your phone buzzed. You checked the time.  
It was 2:45! You read the text from Russel.

Russel:  
We’ll be there in a bit. Sorry, we had to leave a bit early.  
You:  
That’s fine!

Whelp. You were ready, right? You ran to the bathroom to fix your hair and makeup. Then you ran and collected everything you needed. Food, check. Keys, check. Wallet, check. Phone, check. Bag, check. That was everything right? Oh! A just in case jacket. There that’s everything. You turned off the TV and waited on the front steps, testing the handle to make sure the door locked properly. You didn’t have to wait very long though. Soon you saw the car that Russel took you home in the first place round the corner. You smiled wide.  
When he stopped the car Noodle waved at you excitedly from the back. You opened the door and buckled your seat belt.  
“Hey guys!” You greeted. You set your stuff on the floor next to your feet, Russel got back out onto the road. Pulling out the granola bars and water bottles. You turned around and offered Noodle a water bottle and a granola bar, which she happily accepted. You, in turn, offered some to Russel.  
“I figured you guys might be thirsty or hungry after such a long drive, so I brought granola bars and water. If you want any.” You put the water bottle in the cup holder closest to him. He smiled and gave you a half glance. But keeping his attention on the road as he pulled onto the freeway.  
“Thanks.” He said.  
“No problemo.” You replied. Good call, you praised yourself.  
“ね、ね！” (Hey, hey!) Noodle called.  
”なに？” (What?) You answered.  
”おげんきですか？” (How are you?) She grinned. You smiled at her pleasantries.  
”はい、げんきです。Noodleちゃんは？” (I’m good, and you?) You responded. You never really had gotten why people would ask that when you are really only ‘allowed’ to answer one way.  
”わたしもげんきです！しごとがいそがしかったですか？” (I’m good, too! Has your job been busy?) She asked. You had intentionally left out details before when she asked over text. No need to tell a kid about how unfulfilling and boring your job was.  
”そうね…でも！いま、わたしはとてもうれしいです！わたしのしゅうはちょっとつまらなかった…！” (Yeah...but! Now I’m very happy! My week has been kind of boring…!) You chuckled.  
”ざんねんですね！でも、わたしたちはいまたのしんでいます！” (That’s too bad! But, now we are having fun!) She said, taking a bite of granola bar.  
”そうです！わくわくしています。” (That’s right! I’m excited.) You giggled as she struggled to open her water bottle, the flimsy plastic kept slipping out of her hands because of all the condensation. You plucked it out of her hands before she could protest, using your jacket to open the bottle. She stuck her tongue out at you when you gave it back, grumbling about how she could have opened it.  
You sat correctly in your seat again, stuffing your jacket by your feet again. You decided you should probably fill Russel in on your conversation.  
“In case you were wondering, she asked me if work was busy, so I said ‘yeah, and my week was kinda boring’. Then she said we would have fun, so I said I was excited…” You said, wondering if you were boring by relaying such a boring sounding exchange. He chuckled.  
“Yeah, we’ll have fun once we get there. And this time Mudz is gonna wear some clothes.” He said smiling. You chuckled. He turned back to the road and Noodle seemed content for the moment. You looked at the bag. You guessed now was as good of time as any.  
You unzipped the bag, opening it slightly away from the other two so they if they did happen to look over they wouldn’t get a good look. Just in case. Inside the bag, there was your charger and your toothbrush. You pushed those to the side. Pepper spray. Okay. Mini travel makeup containers. Okay. A pen and some sticky notes. Okay.  
And a baggie full of colorful packages and a note. A baggie full of colorful condoms and a note. Not okay, not okay, not okay! You snapped the bag shut at soon as you recognized them. Well then, Mary.  
You looked up at Russel and Noodle. Your face was on fire. You looked out the window, clutching the bag to your chest. What did the note say? You glanced quickly at your companions again, making sure they were both preoccupied before you opened the bag. You put your hand in, blindly opening the snack baggie and pulling out the note. You never knew condoms were so squishy inside of the packaging. You zipped up the bag and read the note.  
-Here’s some just-in-case rubbers for your not-date. I didn’t know how big... so I put a few different sizes in there. P.S. There's lube at the bottom, don't forget to use it! xoxo-  
Then there was a winky face at the bottom of the note. You promptly crumpled up the note and put it back in the bag. You explored the bag a bit more, minty gum, emergency money, trail mix, pain killers. Okay. That’s fine. You zipped up the bag and wrapped it up in your bag. They must never see it’s contents.  
The rest of the drive went much more smoothly. Soon you were pulling up to the infamous Kong Studios. In the daylight (If you could call the meager amount light that came through the rain and dark clouds daylight.) you could see that the building was elevated on a hill-thingy, and was surrounded by a graveyard. Behind that was a forested area, and further behind that must have been the ocean. It seemed to be about the right distance.  
The car pulled up into the large carpark. Russel pulled into an empty space and put the car into park.  
“Here we are.” He said, unbuckling his seat belt and getting out of the car. You unbuckled your seatbelt and gathered up your things. Including the pancakes.  
“Oh! I almost forgot,” You exclaimed, stepping out of the car. Russel and Noodle looked at you. You jogged over to them in the elevator. “I brought you guys strawberry pancakes, if ya want ‘em.” You said, presenting the pancakes to Russel. He smiled, taking the tupperware container from your hands.  
“Thanks, you make ‘em?” He asked. Noodle pulled his hand down to see what was in the container. Upon seeing the pancakes she seemed pleased. She bowed to you.  
“ありがとう！” (Thank you!)She said.  
”どいたしまして！” (You’re welcome!)You waved a hand in front of your face smiling. You also lightly bent over in a hesitant bow.  
The elevator doors opened behind you, so you whirled around only to see an irritated Murdoc and an uncomfortable 2D.  
“Where the bloody ‘ell have you been?! Practice should have already started!” He snarled.  
“Cool it, Mudz. We had to go pick her up. I told you that.” Russel interjected, voice calm. You assumed that this either happened a lot, or that Russel was always very level headed. Probably a bit of both. Noodle just walked past Murdoc and to 2D. You don’t know why but you were kind of surprised that his eyes were actually black. But then again you have been hanging out with a man that had pure white eyes. You mentally shrugged and also exited the elevator.  
Murdoc grumbled and started off towards the hallway, and towards what you assumed to be their practice area. You caught 2D’s eyes and gave him a little wave. He smiled and waved back. Murdoc stopped. Turning around.  
“Well what are you knobs waiting for? Let’s go practice.” He shouted. You shrugged and after meeting Russel’s eyes followed after him. Everyone else seemed to be.  
Also surprisingly, Murdoc seemed very pleased to have you there. He kept bragging to you over his shoulder, so you finally just opted to walk next to him. You all walked up to a door.  
“This,” He said, gesturing widely to the door. “Is where all the magic happens, luv.” He opened the door and sauntered in. You paused, glancing back at the other members of the band before following after.  
The inside was stunning. There was a sound board, a number of iconic instruments, a window looking into the recording room. You gave a slow twirl taking everything in. Even if the rest of the place was grimy, they at least kept this room noticeably cleaner. You turned to Russel.  
“How long is practice going to be?” You asked, trying to sound genuinely interested and not impatient. You were excited to see them play.  
“It’s usually ‘bout an hour.” He replied. He paused looking around, he pulled a chair up to the soundboard. And flipped a little switch on it.  
“Here,” He said pointing at the chair. You walked over and hesitantly sat down. He pushed your chair closer to the sound board. You made a surprised noise. The others walked into the recording area at Murdoc’s insistence. You looked back over to Russel. He pointed at the little button.  
“This,” he explained, “Makes it so we can hear you. But you hafta hold it down.” He then pointed at a switch close to that.  
“This makes it so you can hear us.” He looked at you expectantly. You pointed at the button.  
“You hear me.” You then pointed at the switch.  
“I hear you.” You said. He smiled.  
“See, mad simple.” He moved to join his band mates before looking at the pancake container still in his hand.  
“I can hold on to that for while you practice!” You offered.  
“Thanks.” He said, handing you the container. He walked into the recording area, shutting the door behind him.  
Both Noodle and Murdoc were tuning their instruments. Russel walked over and sat behind his drums. 2D pressed different keys on the piano and sang a voice warmer song softly. You set the pancakes and your stuff down.  
Noodle catches your eyes and smiles. You smile back and give her a thumbs up. She was so cute.  
Turns out she was also stupid talented. You already knew that, but watching her play so naturally, so well, you were simply awestruck. Noodle had a mature air about her when immersed in the music. Focused, natural, and awesome.  
With the way they were practicing each band mate got to be the center of focus. Sure there were a couple of skirmishes here and there, but wow. No wonder they were so popular!  
One thing that startled you the most was 2D and his voice. When singing his voice was pure honey, but with his regular thick accent you would have never guessed. And he himself, he was almost a completely different person when singing.  
Then there was Murdoc. He was raunchy, and brash, but damn could he play. No wonder he got so many women, he had an overwhelmingly clear passion for his music. Even if his winks and tongue mildly creeped you out, you knew he was a hard worker.  
Finally, Russel. It was kind of an accepted thing to overlook the percussion in a band. You had a feeling he himself had accepted this, but your eyes kept wandering back to watch him play. Being the beat of the music, he was unnoticed, yet, by being the foundation he also couldn’t mess up. He had to blend and also play a major role. It was amazing. He also looked so damn cool.  
When they finally wrapped up practice you were starstruck. You boggled at the sheer amount of people that would pay to be here in your position. You flicked the switch and stood, waiting for them to file out of the recording area.You gathered up your items. Noodle bounded out first. You were smiling wide.  
“わあ、すごかった！” (Ah, that was amazing!) you exclaimed.  
”まあまあ！” (It was okay!) She replied modestly, but her self satisfied smile told her that she knew just how cool that was.  
“Woah!” 2D exclaimed looking at you, “You can speak Japanese?” He asked. You nodded. Murdoc pushed past him, coming up to you. He smirked at you.  
“So what d’ya think, luv?” He asked proudly. 2D looked slightly annoyed to be pushed aside.  
“That was amazing!” You said with maybe a little too much excitement, you realized. You cleared your throat. “You guys were amazing.” You added with a little less enthusiasm, but with just as much sincerity. They looked pleased by your compliment.  
“Well, we are the Gorillaz, luv.” Murdoc flaunted. You chuckled. Noodle ran up to you, grabbing your hand and pulling you.  
”わたしのへやにいきませんか？” (Shall we go to my room?) She asked, still lightly tugging on your hand.  
”いきましょう！” (Let’s go!) You agreed.  
“What’s she saying?” 2D asked excitedly. You smiled sheepishly.  
“She’s inviting me to go to her room.” You said, hoping that your normal answer didn’t disappoint him.  
“Then what’d ya say?” He asked.  
“I said ‘let’s go’.” You replied, still not sure if you were exactly trusted to be alone with Noodle. You looked at Russel when you said this, silently asking permission. Noodle pulled your hand again, clearly wanting to show you her room. When you looked back at the boys again Russel was right in front of you. You squeaked in surprise, and tilted your head up to face him.  
“Here,” He took the container of pancakes from you, “I’ll go put these in the fridge. I’ll come check on you guys later.”  
“Oh, okay!” You said. Noodle grumbled something about adults talking too much.  
“Fine, fine, I’m coming now, Noodle!” You laughed, letting yourself be pulled out of the room. As you were leaving you heard a snippet of their next conversation.  
“Ooh! What’s that, Russ?” 2D asked.  
“Yeah, what’s in the container? Something good?” Murdoc chimed in.  
“None of your business!” Russel shot back. 2D whined.  
Noodle pulled you into the elevator. Pushing the third floor button. The elevator doors opened into a red hallway. Geez, these people liked their brightly colored paints. She pulled you out of the elevator, oddly silent--and smiley. She led you to a room at the end of the hall, finally letting go of your hand. She opened the door and went inside. You followed in after her, looking around.  
A few things caught your attention right off the bat. First, the moose head. Sure why not, but a bit creepy. She had a TV with a video game console, her bed, some knick-knacks, and clothes scattered around on the floor. Those of which she kicked into a pile off to the side. She flicked on the lights, and the room lit up magically. The few lanterns on her ceiling and her floral lamp both turned on, that with the setting sun through her shoji windows, giving the room a cozy-mystical vibe. You wish that you had a room like this when you were younger.  
“きれい…” (Pretty…)You breathed. She seemed satisfied with your response. She showed you her videogames, manga, and stuffed animals excitedly She even took off her helmet, tossing it on her chair before flopping on her bed. She patted the bed next to her, her hair sticking up in places at the top. You carefully laid down next to her, making sure to not take up too much room on the small bed.  
“さびしかった…” (I was lonely…) She whispered, looking away.  
”なぜ？” (Why?) You asked, concerned at her wavering tone. You put a hand on her shoulder. She turned over, still looking down.  
”かれらはわたしをりかいできない。” (They can’t understand me.) She sniffled, tears welling in her eyes. It took you a moment to piece everything together. Tears spilled from her eyes.  
”Noodle…” You murmured, pulling her to you. “I’m so sorry. Don’t be upset. I’m here.” You hummed, hugging her against your chest. She wrapped her arms around you, quietly crying. She mumbled apologies every once and awhile, but you just shushed her, stroking her hair. It hurt you to see her like this, someone full of love shouldn’t be upset, or lonely. You also couldn’t imagine what it must be like to be in a foreign country where everyone spoke a different language, and at such a young age.  
Eventually she was down to just sniffling, but you continued to hold her and run your fingers through her hair until she pulled away. You sat up when she did. There was a wet spot on the front of your shirt. She apologized for that, too. You brushed off the apology, it wasn’t a big deal. She wiped her face off on her sleeves.  
She picked up a mirror that was on the floor and looked at herself. She made a face when she saw that herself. Her cheeks and eyes were red and puffy and crying. She groaned, hiding her face in her hands. Yup, almost too mature for her own good.  
You got an idea, grabbing your bag from off the floor. You unzipped it and pulled out your mini make-ups. Blush, eye shadow palette, brushes, and foundation. You showed them to her with a sly smile. She brightened, jumping off the bed and rifling through her stuffed animals, pulling out a shoe box. She carried back over to the bed. You sat cross legged to make more space, your makeup laid out in front of you. She set the shoe box in front of you, you looked inside. In it was makeup, assorted colors of lipsticks, eye shadow, foundation, lip liner, blush, mascara, and eyeliner.  
“たすけてほしいですか？” (Do you want help?) You asked her.  
”Yeah!” She nodded. You got an idea. You use to play this game when you were younger and makeup still held it’s magically intrigue. It was also hilarious. Blindfolded makeup. Perfect game. You thought about how you could pose the idea to her. How would you explain it? Maybe you would just show her? You hoped that wouldn’t be weird. Maybe start with the basics.  
You pointed at the makeup.  
“Makeup.” You said, hoping she would catch on. She looked at you before pointing at the makeup.  
”けしょう?” (Makeup.) She repeated in Japanese quizzically.  
“けしょうは「Makeup.」” (Makeup is “Makeup.”) You said.  
“Makapu?” She tried.  
“Yes, makeup.” You confirmed.  
“Makapu.” She repeated.  
“いしょうに、けしょうのゲームをあそびませんか？” (Should we not play a makeup game?) You invited. She looked at you, intrigued.  
“あそびましょう。” (Let’s play.) She said. You smiled, jumping off the bed to where she kicked her clothes, you grabbed a scarf of the top, going back to the bed. You decided you should probably blindfold yourself and try to do her makeup first. You made yourself comfortable sitting across from her, all of the makeup spread out in front of you. You took the scarf and wrapped it around your eyes, plunging yourself into darkness.  
“Okay,” You said, reaching for what you thought might be blush, or maybe powder foundation. “This might get… messy.” You giggled. You opened the container and found a brush among the clutter. You set both things carefully down into your lap. Then you set out to finding her face. You blindly waved your hand around, until you found her cheek. You raised your other hand to her other cheek, and started to push the stray hairs out of her face. You think you got them all? Keeping one hand on her cheek you grabbed the container, before realizing you needed the other to grab the brush.  
“Uh…” You debated, before grabbing the brush. You collected some powder on it, tapping away the excess and started brushing the air where you remembered her face to be. That’s when she started laughing. You smiled, still trying to concentrate. That’s her nose. You moved over, yes, this must be blush. You sucked in your cheeks to show her what to do, she giggled, but complied. There we go.  
You closed the container, feeling around for makeup. Lipstick, yes. But in what color you didn’t know. You uncapped it, and twisted it until it was up enough, you got some on your fingers, but hey, getting messy was the whole point. You felt for her face again, fingers trying to find her lips. There they are! You brought the lipstick up to her face. Shit, not her mouth. She made a noise that you assumed was a stifled laugh. You chuckled. You slowly applied some to her lips. But accuracy is hard when you couldn’t see. You were eager to see your masterpiece.  
You twisted the lipstick down, searching for the cap. Noodle took pity and pushed the cap into your hand. Now for eyeshadow. You found a rectangular container, you opened it and gently ran your fingers over it. You felt the compartmentalized colors, and a little applicator brush. This is what you what you wanted. You picked up the brush and container.  
“めをとじてください。” (Close your eyes, please.) You asked, then thinking, she’ll need to learn english eventually, “Close your eyes, please.” You repeated. You took the hand that held the container and rested it against her cheek. The other gently tried to find her eyes. When you found them she flinched, but the hand on her cheek told you she was smiling. You apologized anyway. You used the hand on her cheek to keep track of where her eye was. Then you put the little eyeshadow brush and randomly picked a color.  
“And, this one…” You mumbled, picking one from the middle. You brought the brush up to her eye...brow. Too high. She giggled. You tried again, this time haphazardly coloring her eyelid with your chosen pigment. You moved your hand to her other cheek when you deemed that you had done enough there. Shit, where was the color again? You chose one that was close to the one you used before. You put this pigment on her eye, and kind of on her nose. Oh well. You pushed the brush back into the container, shutting it. For what you assumed to be her first endeavor into blindfolded makeup, you thought that was enough. You set down the container.  
“Okay, done! おわります！” (Okay, done! Finished!) You announced. You reached up and took the scarf from your eyes. You blinked into the light, which was now fading from the windows. You looked at Noodle. She had two different colors of eyeshadow, one eye bright blue the other pale yellow. Her lipstick was bright red, and covering only about three fourths of her mouth, the other fourth(plus some) was in the surrounding area. Her blush was a bright pink, and too high. You tried to stifle a snort into your palm, but it didn’t help.  
“Omigosh! I’m sorry- your face, your face!” You breathed through laughing. She picked up a mirror and inspected herself in it. She burst out laughing, too. When your laughter dies down, your cheeks still hurt.  
Now this was a Friday night out. Now it was Noodle’s turn to try. You handed her the blindfold and she tied it on. You pushed the hair out of your face. Though the ‘blindfold’ covered about half of her face, you could still see her sloppy makeup. You were glad she was feeling happier now. Now it was her turn. Her hands groped the air, accidentally smacking you in the face.  
“Ow.” You said, and breathily chuckled when she rubbed your cheek with a “ごめん！” (Sorry!)  
Her other hand grabbed a contour pallette, she must think it was blush. She opens it and explores the contents gently with her fingers before setting it down in her lap. She then hunts for a brush. When she finds the one you used, she pulls her hand away from your face to get some powder on the brush. She gathered some powder and started brushing the air, getting some powder on your ear before rubbing the soft brush against your cheeks. She made a large circle and filled it in from there, going to the other side and doing the same.  
Then she closed the container, and swapped out the contour and brush for a lipstick. A bubblegum pink colored lipstick. Oh well. She uncapped it and twisted it up, before she grabbed your face again, her fingers brushed over the side of your mouth. She brought the lipstick up to your mouth, you tried not to smile as she smudged makeup on and all around your mouth.  
That’s when the door opened after a quick knock. Both you and Noodle turned your heads towards the door. Her hand was still on your face, the other holding the lipstick up. Russel walked through the door, stopping when he saw the scenario before him. He looked at a smiling Noodle, who had just taken her hand from your face to lift up the blindfold so she could see who came in.  
“Hello,” She greeted, her accent thick. Then they both turned to you. Noodle, upon seeing your face started laughing. Russel soon joined. And he laughed hard, leaning against the doorway. You started laughing just because everyone was laughing, then you looked in the mirror. You looked like a clown and a poorly painted barbie doll had a baby. It was too great for words.  
“Wha-What are you even doing? What happened?” He finally asked when he recovered from his laughing fit. Noodle finally took the blindfold off all the way.  
“We were doing each other’s makeup!” You said cheekily. He just smirked.  
“Yeah, I could see that.” He said.  
“It was a game that I use to play when I was her age.” You explained. He walked over and you scooched over to make room on the bed. Noodle followed suit, sweeping the makeup to the side. Russel sat down at the edge, and the bed shallowly sank underneath him.  
“Well, it looks like you guys’ are having fun.” He commented.  
“Yeah, we are.” You replied.  
“たべたいか？” (Do you want to eat?) Noodle asked you.  
”あなかすいたですか？” (Are you hungry?) You questioned her back.  
”はい。いこ？” (Yeah. Shall we?) She said.  
”うん。” (Yeah.) You said. You turned to Russel.  
“Noodle is hungry. It is just about dinner time, yeah?” You said. Russel nodded.  
“Yeah, s’bout maybe 6ish.” He confirmed. He stood back up.  
“I’ll go make dinner, then.” He said, walking towards the door.  
“Wait!” He stopped. “Uh, if you want, I could help you, make dinner...that is.” You offered, not wanting to be rude.  
“Sure, I’ll be in the kitchen. Noodle can show you where.” He said, opening the door and walking back into the hallway. You turned to Noodle.  
“Time to get washed up!” You announced, before adding, “トイレはどこですか？” (Where’s the toilet?)


	5. "Damn, boy! Why so many?"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinnertime, video games, movies, ghosts, slumber parties. Ya know, the whole normal shabang.

You grabbed your just-in-case bag, leaving your other things on Noodle’s bed after she okay-d it. You were now in the bathroom, hair pushed away from your face unflatteringly as you washed the makeup off your cheeks and mouth. Noodle was doing the same in an adjacent sink. You wondered why there were public-esque bathrooms in what was supposed to be a private house-thingy.  
You scrubbed hard at your cheek with some soap, you knew it was gonna dry out your skin but you didn’t really have many other options at the moment. You looked over at Noodle, she was using toilet paper to get the lipstick off of herself. It wasn’t really helping being dry like that. She furrowed her brows before putting some water on the paper and trying again, with better results.  
When you both had gotten enough makeup off yourselves you decided to just say fuck it and not put any more back on. You looked fine without it. Noodle happily showed you to the kitchen on the first floor. When the elevator doors opened you were holding hands again. She pulled you down the hall, and towards where you thought you remembered the kitchen. Seems you remembered correctly.  
You walked into the small kitchen. Inside it was dimmer than what you would expect a kitchen to be. Your eyes focused on the stove, and Russel in front of it. In a frilly pink apron. Was this meant as a joke? You thought incredulously. He turned upon hearing your entry.  
It was hard to tell where he was looking, without him having irises and all, but the movement of his eyebrows and eyelids told you his gaze flickered to your face, Noodle’s face, your still clasped hands, and then back to your face.  
You smiled. “Whatchu makin’ there, Russel?” You asked, eyeing the bowl behind him. It wasn’t transparent glass, so you couldn’t tell. Water was also boiling on the stove.  
“Oh, you can call me Russ. And I’m making some lasagna. Noodle loves it.” He said.  
Noodle dropped your hand, bounding over to Russel.  
“Lasagna?!” She asked with barely an accent. She seemed very excited about that. Russel smirked.  
“Yeah, wanna help?” He asked. He handed her the bowl and a wooden spoon, she sat at the large-ish round table in the corner and began stirring. It was then you noticed how dirty the kitchen seemed. They probably didn’t have time with their busy schedule and all. You let it go quickly and walked over to Russel.  
“Anything you need me to do?” You asked him. You didn’t want to just hang around awkwardly as they did all of the work. He stirred the long frilly noodles in the pot, thinking.  
“You could get the salad together…” He mused, glancing towards the fridge. You perked up, you could make salad pretty easily. You smiled at him and gave a quirky thumbs up before walking towards the fridge. You opened it, looking for salad ingredients.  
Uh…ok… Ignore all the weird things. Who eats eel, anyway? You opened the vegetable crisper drawers. Okay… lettuce, some baby carrots, and half of a (kinda old looking) cucumber. Not many ingredients but it should do. Oh! There was also some salad dressing, good, you weren’t as confident in your skills of making salad dressing. You set your newly pillaged ingredients on the counter, going in search of a knife, bowl, and cutting board. There weren’t that many drawers.  
You started opening cabinets and pulling open drawers. Here’s a knife, there’s a bowl. Oh, the cutting board was on the counter leaning against an unused banana hanger. With everything together, you set to work rinsing and cutting up the lettuce. You stopped momentarily as Noodle dragged over a chair, stood on it, and pulled down some plates. She seemed to be okay.  
You finished the lettuce and looked over at Russel, who was watching the lasagna in the oven. When you finished the rest your task you set out your creation, along with a large fork and spoon, as you couldn’t find tongs. You all chit-chatted as Noodle set out glasses and utensils, enough for 5 people. It took you a few seconds to understand why, but at that moment Murdoc stormed in.  
...in only a towel and a pissed off facial expression. You quickly covered Noodle’s eyes, after making a startled strangled noise. You averted your own gaze from the green, pretty-much-nude-right-now man.  
“Fat ma-” Murdoc started.  
“Th-Th-There are children present!” You blurted, cutting him off. You knew Noodle had probably seen this before, and knowing how modest and conservative many Japanese folks could be, this was probably very unpleasant for her, as well. Murdoc’s attention turned to you.  
“Oh, ‘ello luv. I would be wearing clothes right now if faceache hadn’t messed with my bathroom supplies! This hair doesn’t take care of itself, you know.” He turned to Russel, “Oi, fatman.” You blanched, how rude! “Could you lend a helping hand and tell me where that twit went?” He asked, nonchalantly. Russel growled lowly.  
“Check the game room or something, I don’t know man. If you do find him tell him dinner will be ready soon.” Russel replied. Then Murdoc left, and you let your hand drop away from Noodle’s eyes. Okay then…  
“Sorry ‘bout that, Murdoc is kind of…” He paused, searching for the right word. “Mercurial.” You debated this answer, yeah, that seemed about right.  
Relatively soon Russel pulled out the lasagna, took off his apron- to which you had grown fond of seeing him wearing, it was adorable- and started to cut it into squares. Both a cowed looking 2D and cocky Murdoc joined you all. You stayed in your seat next to Noodle, 2D took the seat next to you, Murdoc sat across from you, and Russel sat between 2D and Murdoc.  
Eating a casual lasagna dinner with the Gorillaz. Yes, an everyday normal thing to do. Breathe, breathe, small smile.   
Dinner was kind of exhausting but nonetheless fun. Everyone wanted to talk to Noodle, ask her questions, tell her things. You did your best to translate with the limited amount of knowledge you possessed, (But a few things did get lost in translation.) They also wanted to ask you questions and tell you things. You learned about the house, their backstories, their music, their interests. And likewise, you shared your much less exciting life with them… though maybe leaving out a few things. Some things are better left in the past.  
When dinner was done you and 2D volunteered to do the dishes, while everyone else prepared for some movies and video games. It was getting kinda late though… eh, whatever.  
You rinsed and scrubbed the dishes, and 2D dried and put away everything. You had always found something calming about doing dishes, and 2D was a blast to talk to. He talked about his parents and his dad’s theme park. You wished your parents had owned a theme park… You also shared your views on music, and movies, and books.  
You liked their music. 2D was glad. 2D told you about all of his favorite artists. You had heard some of them and commented on that. He like horror movies with blood and gore and zombies. You would watch them. You loved books. 2D didn’t really read very much, to your disappointment.  
When you finished that task 2D popped some popcorn. He gushed about how cool it was that you could speak Japanese. You smile and laughed, gosh, he was such a sweetie. The microwave beeped, he dumped the popcorn into a bowl and grabbed some crisps. Mmm. Then he started to lead you to the game room/ living room/ heaven.  
\---  
“Yeah, and I wasn’t actually sure if the car could clear that jump! But it did, now didn’t it? And it looked so cool!” He suddenly stopped recalling the making of one of their latest music videos. Around the corner, you heard the voices of his bandmates.  
“‘Ere we are! Ta da!” He said with goofy smile on his face. You rounded the corner with a bemused smile, but then your face fell in awe. There was a huge TV, a comfy looking couch flanked by two smaller recliners(all of which were covered in comfy looking blankets), bookshelves full of music, video games, and even some books. Noodle was standing in the corner wearing pajamas, the antennas on her helmet had cute little bear heads at the top, and making a little blanket fort. Russel was setting up video games, while Murdoc reclined in one of the two recliners, buried in blankets and holding what looked like a bottle of Vodka. The window at the corner of the little alcove showed a darkened night sky, light slanting in from there. The only other points of illumination were the lights of the hallway and a very 60’s esque lamp.  
You stepped further into the room. This. This was SO much better than eating takeout and reading til’ you passed out.  
“Ya’ll ready for some movies and video games?” Russel asked. Yes, yes you were.  
“Uh huh!” You affirmed.  
“Sure…” Murdoc garbled, (it must be vodka, or maybe even something stronger).  
“Is it a zombie film? I luv those…” 2D rambled.  
“はい！” Noodle chimed.  
Russel turned on the TV and popped a game card into the console. He waved you and 2D over. Noodle even stopped adding to her blanket fort, bouncing over and plopping down on the couch. You went and sat next to her after Russel told you to sit anywhere you’d like. He handed Noodle a remote, picking one up himself. 2D walked over to the other recliner and got comfortably cocooned into his own blankets. You pulled some blankets over yourself and Noodle. Then Russel sat down on your other side, so you put some blankets over him, as well.  
Some 8-bit music started playing, and the title screen materialized into view. Noodle was practically vibrating with excitement. Russel chuckled at this, and 2D decided to fill you in.  
“Noods’ pretty great at this game! Beats me e’rytime, don’t she, Russ?”  
“Yeah, but ‘D, you also really suck at this game…” Russel responded.  
“That’s true. That’s true… S’her favorite, plays it all the time.” 2D said absentmindedly.  
Noodle seemed to be getting impatient with your idle chit chat, her foot bouncing rapidly. The whole blanket was softly waving.You nudged Russel, a big grin on your face. When you got his attention you tilted your head at Noodle. He also grinned.  
“Well, should we start?” Russel offered. Noodle looked over at him quickly.  
“うん！” (Yeah!) Noodle agreed enthusiastically. You wiggled further into the blanket, getting comfy. Russel started a new game, and the intro sequence started. The game was a two-player platformer, where you had to kill different monsters and get to your objective on time before a certain event happened. Simple, but exciting nonetheless.  
You were on the edge of your seat every time someone almost died, trying to contain your overwhelming excitement. Of course they offered to let you play, but for now, you were very content with just watching. They (Meaning Noodle, Russel, and 2D; Murdoc was more interested in nursing his drink right now, and therefore was content to watch like you.) switched around after each level or when the other person died.  
So mostly Russel and 2D switched, Noodle was pretty good. You didn’t know how long they played for, but they got through quite a few levels, and pretty quickly. 2D even commented on this, saying that they must be doing so well because you were a good luck charm, which you jokingly denied. But soon a group consensus dictated that it was time for movies. Well more like subtitled anime.  
You hadn’t really watched any before, but you found it nice that Noodle didn’t just have to sit there and be completely lost. It was a classic, Sailor Moon. A friend of yours back in high school was crazy for it, and a few episodes in you kinda knew why. It was funny and damn, was the opening catchy--if not a bit cheezy. You were definitely going to watch this yourself later.  
Halfway through the first episode, Murdoc left. “Boooooring, utter Japanese rubbish.” in his words. You shrugged him off. Though one thing that did kind of get to you was the fact that Noodle kept looking over at you, probably checking to see if you liked it, but she was practically watching you more than the TV. Russel was quietly watching the screen, you couldn’t really tell if he liked it or not. He was kind of hard to read sometimes. 2D on the other hand, well, you weren’t sure if he was even watching it. He looked to be more staring through the screen into space, then well, at it. He was slightly frowning though, but you had seen him like that earlier, too. You guessed that was his neutral-spacey look, and uneasily ignored it.  
But...You checked on those two every once in awhile, anyway.  
Just to make sure they weren’t upset; you knew it sucked to feel bad with people around who didn’t notice your unease in the slightest. It was during one of your periodical glances that you noticed 2D nodding off, his eyes slowly drooping before he widened them again. You wondered what time it was.  
Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit-!!!  
You forgot to text your roommates!  
You groped around for your just-in-case bag, which currently contained your phone. You tried to nonchalantly look around for it, as to not alarm anyone. Noodle giggled, pulling your attention to her, she was looking at the TV. You quickly glanced up at the screen. Yeah, Serena just fell on her face...again. You also chuckled, haha, comedy. Wait, it’s him! You shipped it, hesitantly though. Of course, they would get together eventually, but-  
Focus! Phone.  
You looked around for your bag. Where was it?! Not on Noodle’s side… You looked on the other side. You knew it was around here somewhere…  
Your gently probing fingers brushed against something. Something soft, and warm, and smooth, and most definitely not your just-in-case bag. Russel flinched and you pulled your hand away like you were burned.  
“Sorry!” You whispered. How embarrassing! Gah, he must think you intentionally brushed against his hand or some shit! You only quickly glanced up to meet his gaze. He was looking at you from the corner of his eyes, brows gently furrowed. But they were always like that, right?! That wasn’t confusion. That was a normal-Russel look, you were just overreacting.  
“It’s cool.” He replied, in a similarly hushed tone. There was a pause just filled by the sound of the TV, villains cackling and whatnot. You looked around more noticeably this time, purposefully not looking at either them. Where the hell was-?!  
It was behind you. With an angry huff, you pulled it out. Both of your companions (2D was out like a light.) looked over at you as you pulled your arms free. You wiggled the bag before carefully opening it, extracting your phone, and being extremely careful that neither of them saw inside your bag and got a peek at your...gifts, from Mary.  
Speaking of Mary.  
Maryyyy:  
What’s happening?  
Have you got any yet? *wink wonk*  
No seriously it’s getting late.  
Hey.  
Hey.  
You better be having sex or some shit, you should be home.  
And that sex better be fucking fantastic or I’m going to kill u.  
Hey!

You:  
Sorry! Sorry!  
I got distracted, I swear I was going to text you sooner.

There, you apologized and confirmed that you were, in fact, not dead. You turned back to the TV. You got an almost instantaneous reply. When your phone dinged, both half-glanced at you before going back to the screen.

Maryyyy:  
-_-  
So…? What had you so distracted.

You:  
Anime and video games.

Maryyyy:  
That mystery man of yours better have a job and be fucking hot or I’m very disappointed. Don’t tell me he took you back to his mother’s house for your not-date or something.

You:  
Yes he has a job. No he is not mine. Uh… yeah he is kinda hot.

You glanced over at Russel to make sure he wasn’t reading over your shoulder as you wrote that.

You:  
And saying nou date makes it sound like it is one.  
not*

It took a few moments for her to reply to this one.

Maryyyy:  
Fiiiiine. What time are you coming home?

You paused. You didn’t know. Should you ask now? But if you ask Russel might take you home right now. Uhh, time for a quick excuse.

You:  
I dunno! But the anime is getting good so I’ll tell you later. Nighty night!

Perfect deflection. Not a full lie. The anime was good, but you weren’t sure if it was gonna get any better than this. Your phone dinged. You braved a look.

Maryyyy:  
-_-  
Nerd. Okay, g’night.  
Get some.

You rolled your eyes. Mary was always trying to set you up. Maybe it was because she never could stay in a relationship for very long? So she was trying to live out relationships through you? Eh, maybe. That or she just really wants to set you up with someone. Either way, it didn’t matter right now.  
Now you had nothing to stress about, you could just watch Sailor Moon in peace.  
\---  
Noodle fell asleep on your arm. It was going numb, but you couldn’t move it. That would be like kicking 5 puppies. Who wants to kick 5 puppies? Certainly not you. So you just sit there, your own shoulder leaning against Russel’s arm to compensate for the weight.  
But ouch. Her helmet was really digging into your collarbone, and one of her little teddy bears was digging into your skin. Maybe you could pull the helmet off of her? You would need some help.  
“Russ,” You whispered.  
“Russel, you awake?” You asked, ever so slightly louder. You looked over. Nope. No wonder he didn’t say anything about you leaning on him. His head was lolled forward, eyes closed.  
“Need help?” A deep voice asked from behind you. You started, jumping a bit in your seat. When Noodle stirred you stilled instantly. With eyes wide, you craned your neck around quickly. That wasn’t Murdoc’s….  
Behind you, there was a blue man. A ghost. Wait…? No… It couldn’t be…  
“A-a-are you Del, by chance?” You asked incredulously, voice still soft. He chuckled quietly, pulling back and seeming to loom over you. He smiled wide.  
“The one and only, baby.” He said confidently. Wow, he talked with his hands. His accent was also very similar to Russ’. You were talking to a ghost. A ghost rapper. A ghost rapper who was possessing your friend. And offered you help. A look at Russ and 2D… help from a ghost rapper it is.  
“I.. uh… could I get some help, actually?” You asked hesitantly. He moved around to the front of the couch so you wouldn’t have to crane your neck to look at him.  
“Totally, whatchu need?” He asked, looking at you. You glanced at Noodle and back up at him.  
“Could you help me get her helmet off? But without waking her? It’s kind of digging into my neck.” You whispered. He smiled.  
“Sure thing.” He leaned forward without touching the couch. You used one hand to gently lift her head. She made a face but didn’t wake. Del reached over and slowly eased the helmet off. He was leaning in very close, his hand even brushed against your cheek. You wondered how he could touch things, and why he was blue, and why he looked static-y, but his hair looked normal. Of course, none of these silent ponderings would get answered, and you just resigned yourself to reluctant acceptance. He was a literal ghost, that was strange enough.  
He pulled her helmet off and even replaced it with a pillow from the side of the couch. You gently let her head rest back down. When that whole process was done he put the helmet down and reclined in the air, floating about a foot off the ground. He looked you up and down.  
“So, you know me, but I don’t know you. And clearly your friends with Russ, and Noods. Mind introducing yourself?” He asked. Your eyes widened, you weren’t sure what to make of his comment-questioning.  
You told him your name. He leaned back further, smirking.  
“So how’d you meet Russ?” He asked. You blushed… there was no getting out of this, huh? You looked away and played wrung your hands underneath the blankets. His white eyes glanced at the movement before trailing back to your face, grinning wider.  
“I uh, was kinda, drunk… well maybe wasted? I had a bad day, and I was wandering around trying to get home… I think... And, oh! Actually, I think I heard ‘Clint Eastwood’ and followed the music… into the road, and criedonthehoodoftheircar…? Theeeen they took me back here and drove me home and Noodle and I hit it off cuz’ I can speak Japanese... a bit. So we became friends, and here I am.” You summarized, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Del looked like he was holding back laughter.  
“You cried on the hood of their car?” He smiled, throwing his arms across each other, “Aw man, that’s too funny!” He chuckled finally. You looked to the side. Of course, that’s what he would get out of your story.  
“You’re chill. Man, I can see why they like you.” He said (complimented?). You looked up in surprise.  
He turned towards the lonely window. Seeing the inky blackness outside, scattered by a lightning flash. The drone of the TV mixed with the pitter patter of the incessant rain, and the rumbling thunder. He paused, transfixed for a moment, far away. He turned back to you, relaxed grin resumed.  
“Isn’t it kinda early for a cuddle party?” He asked, snickering at ‘cuddle party’. You scrunched up your nose and stuck your tongue out at him. He muffled a real laugh under his hand. People were sleeping. Speaking of which, you stifled a yawn. With a huff, you got a smartass idea.  
“It’s actually…” You pulled out your just-in-case bag, retrieving your phone and putting the bag back down without zipping it up. You woke up the screen. “....One in the morning?! How long have I been watching this?!” You whisper screeched. You looked up at Del, mortified. He simply cocked an eyebrow at you and leaned forward.  
“Guess you’re spendin’ the night then, huh.” He commented.  
“I guess… so…” You mumbled. Opening up your text messaging, the clicking of the buttons sounded a bit too loud to you. You sent Mary and text.

You:  
I lost track of time, and I guess I’m spending the night. But… you probably already guessed that.

Good explanation. You sent it. Wait.

You:  
And no! Not for the reason you think, Mary!

There. That should do it. You glanced at your bag. That girl…. You looked up and Del was inches away from your face. You sucked in a surprised face, reeling back.  
“Jesus, Del! You scared me!” You whined. He pulled back, arms crossed, smirking wide.  
“Sorry, man. But, hey, who’s this Mary, and what reason is she thinking of, huh?” He asked slyly. You pursed your lips, blushing, and unconsciously glanced at your bag. You realized a moment too late that he followed your gaze. You opened your mouth in surprise when he snatched your bag, but there was nothing you could do, other than reach one arm out in a futile attempt to steal it back. Any more than that and you ran the risk of waking your companions.  
“Hey!” You hissed. He chuckled, rifling through the bag. You looked away. Do you start explaining yourself now, or do you wait and maybe he won’t find--  
“Damn, boy! Why so many?” He asked playfully, pulling out the colorfully assorted bag of condoms. You were about to explain yourself before Del started chuckling, and cut you off.  
“Boy, you and me both know that Russ couldn’t go THIS many rounds.” He laughed. “I don’t think any man could.” You spluttered at his forwardness. It was one thing coming from one of your best friends, and other from a blue rapping ghost that you just met. And and and! Who said they were for Russel and y-, uh... Those could have been meant for anyone!  
“I didn’t put those in there!” You hissed. A bit too loudly. Whoops. Noodle stirred, cuddled closer to you and settled again. 2D and Russel were dead to the world, though. You started again… quieter.  
“Mary packed the bag for me...and-and promised me to not look until I got into the car! And a promise is a promise. So when I found those there was nothing I could do! And! I-I-I just met him, okay?” You said. Reaching for your bag again, just wanting this mortification to end. Del put the bag back in and handed it back to you. You pushed the bag to the bottom, put your phone in and zipped it up, replacing it into its original spot behind you.  
“Calm down, calm down. Sorry. I was just pullin’ yo leg. Didn’t mean to make you mad.” He apologized, you puffed out one cheek.  
“S’fine…” You said, accepting his apology. He floated back and settled on the free recliner, sprawling across it.  
“So… whatchu watchin’? Sailor Moon?” He asked, looking at the TV. It was on the title menu, the into song looping.  
“Yeah, was, but not so much anymore.” You said.  
“You want me to shut it off?” He offered.  
“Sure.” You leaned farther back into the couch, letting your head ever so gently brush against Russel’s shoulder. Del flicked his wrist and the TV shut off with a static-y sigh. You cocked an eyebrow at him in the now dimly lite room. He just shrugged and crossed his arms behind his head, leaning back into the pillows.  
“You're American, right?” He asked after a moment’s pause.  
“Yeah. I grew up there and moved over here after community college for a shitty internship…” You said.  
“Then why’d you stay?” He asked, still looking up at the ceiling. You let your gaze travel to the window. You sighed deeply.  
“Honestly, there wasn’t much to go back to… I’m glad I stayed.” You said. Watching lightning flash. The sounds of the weather more prominent without the noise from the TV. The white noise reminded you when you were little, staying up late, just listening to the storm. Enjoying the solidarity and the white noise, looking out the dirty window to your darkened street. Just imagining the smell of the rain outside. You always imagined dancing in it, like in the movies. Each streetlamp your own personal spotlight. The rain your symphony.  
“You like the rain?” He asked, you glanced at him, he locked eyes with you.  
“Yeah, always have. You?” You responded. He winked at you, breaking the eye contact and looking out towards the window.  
“Yeah. S’nice. Rain at night is the best.” You hummed in agreeance. Hesitantly, gently, you let your head rest on Russel’s shoulder. He was warm. You could hear his breathing, deep and slow and rhythmic.  
Both you and Del lapsed into sleepy silence. Just listening to the melodies of the night. The white noise was pulling you towards sleep, but part of you wanted to stay awake and continue to talk to Del. Your eyes drooped closed.  
“Goodnight, Del.” You managed to mutter, fogginess encompassing you.  
“Sweet dreams.” He whispered, very close now, but you didn’t startle, you were too far gone. Then he was gone, and so were you, completely.


	6. Nope nope nope nope n-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just have a question to as ya'll, would you be opposed for some Del x reader on the side? It's either that or good friends. But I don't know... Del does seem like he would be a flirt, and enjoy teasing the reader with flirty comments. So comment what you think, should there be some Del x reader on the side that devolves into friendship or just some good ol' chummy pal antics?

You guessed it wasn’t long before a loud clap of thunder woke you up. Sure, thunder was beautiful… but it kinda spooked you when it got loud like that. Your eyes snapped open. You blinked a few times to clear your vision. Oh yeah, you were hanging out with Russel and Noodle. Well, you could get a bit more shut-eye… You surveyed your surroundings first, you never know when a clap of thunder could actually be a monster or robber or a ghost. Because those exist apparently. But nothing was there.  
Noodle shifted a bit in her sleep, and you turned your groggy attention towards her. Her arms were looped around your waist (your arms were looped around her as well), with her face buried into your stomach. One of her legs were hanging off the couch, like the blanket, while her other leg was tucked up towards the couch. On that same thought you were in a new position, too. You were turned more towards Noodle, and you were leaning against something that wasn’t the couch. This caught your attention. You craned your neck to see Russel. Instead of his stiff legged, hands in lap, head down position from before, he looked much more relaxed. His head was laying on the back of the couch and partially his arm, which trailed along the back. You were tucked between his arm and his body. He was also turned towards yourself and Noods. One of his legs was bent up onto the couch.  
You held your breath when 2D stirred. You doubt you would hear the end of it if he saw how cuddled up the three of you were right now. Do you pretend to be asleep or not-?!  
He sighed and falls back asleep on the recliner. Well, not exactly -on- it. You weren’t with how he was flailed over the edges that it could be considered sleeping on it. You held back a giggle at how his head lolled back over the arm, making his hair go down in spiky waterfalls with gravity, like some sort of cartoon character.  
Well, you were pretty awake now. And going by your earlier thought, this is not a favorable position to be caught in- no matter how warm and comfortable (well kind of, and even less so in Noodles scrunched up case) and...oh... Russel was snoring softly. Shit. Now you really hated to wake him up. It needed to be done… but a few more moments wouldn’t be so bad, right?  
You allowed yourself to be selfish for a moment. You relaxed, ever so slightly snuggling closer to Russel, while holding Noodle a bit tighter. She smiled softly. You closed your eyes, pretending for a moment that you weren’t being creepy and desperate. This was a normal occurrence, this happened all the time, nothing special. Your breathing was slowly, the fantasy was lulling you back to sleep.  
No.  
You turned your head, wow your face was super close to his. No! Not the point.  
“Russel,” You whispered. Nothing.  
“Russel.” You whispered again, stretching a bit closer.  
“Russel, wake up.” You whisper shouted, glancing at the others in the room. He stirred,  
“Russ~ wakey wakey!” You whispered, smirking to yourself. He slowly cracked a single eye open, humming deeply. No, stop being attractive and sleepy please.  
“Russ, you awake?” You asked. He opened his other eye, moving his free-er hand to rub against his face. From the little time you knew him, you guessed he’d want to address the situation himself before you started talking. So you waited, gauging his expressions. He yawned, nodding his head. He stretched, arching his back, well then, now you were much closer to him, he was practically embracing you.  
It was like a lightbulb went off in his head. He paused mid stretch, really assessing his surroundings. His gaze swept from his end of the couch to the other side and then around the room. He relaxed his back almost instantly, pulling his arm up and away from you. You shivered at the cold air.  
“Aw man, sorry ‘bout that! I didn’t mean to get all up in your personal space, thanks for wakin’ me up.” He whispered frantically. Dammit! No, him cuddling you was not the point… well yeah but that wasn’t it. Just say something idiot!  
“No, no! It’s fine, I just, maybe we shouldn’t sleep here? What is 2D wakes up, or Murdoc comes back? And shouldn’t Noodle sleep in a bed. N-not that I mind her cuddling up to me, I just… That looks uncomfortable, ya know?” You muttered hurriedly. Russel slowly putting his arms back down and yawned, making you yawn in turn. You quickly blinked the tears away and looked back at him. He had a variation of his trademark dangerous grin he would sometimes flash at you. You vaguely wondered why he always furrowed his eyebrows like that. He chuckled breathily.  
“Yeah, good thinkin’ there.” He agreed, looking a bit relieved that you hadn’t woken him up to yell at him or something.  
“Well then. How are we going to do this?” You asked. Somehow you needed to get Noodle to her room without waking her up. It was much too late for her to be awake.  
“Also…” You added, looking at 2D, “Are we going to leave him here, or wake him up?” You asked. That didn’t look very comfortable either. Russel seemed to debate it for a moment.  
“Well… I could carry him back to his room, but you would have to carry Noods. Or we can wake him up, let him try to find his own way back, and I could carry Noods. But, we probably shouldn’t leave him here for Murdoc to find later... “ Russel said, while he was talking you noticed something a bit strange. He wasn’t really looking at you… Kind of, everywhere but you. Was he still embarrassed that you both had unintentionally cuddled?  
2D was an adult, but hey, did you really trust him to not get attacked by the monsters of the night? You could carry Noodle, meh, she wasn’t that heavy.  
“I can carry Noodle.” You whispered. Russel glanced at you.  
“Then it’s settled. I’ll carry ‘D, you carry Noodle, and we come back for the rest after. Sound good?” He said, voice still low. You smiled and nodded.  
You started by slowly pulling yourself into a semi-seated position, enough to let Russel get up. He stood, and turned back to face you. You were struggling to figure out how you were supposed to stand without moving her all together. Russel reached out his hand, letting it rest against the small of your back, holding you up. He searched your face for any signs of protest, but found none. He added a bit more pressure to help you sit up all the way.  
With the new gravity your head was a bit light, but also your T-shirt fell back into place. Ah, that’s why he wouldn’t look at you. Your face turned red, how much did he see? How hadn’t you noticed?! You cleared your throat.  
“Thanks.” You squeaked. You glanced at him, w-was he blushing, too? No. It’s just dark in here. Trick of the lack of light and all that jazz.  
Back to the task at hand. Russel still hadn’t taken his hand away, but you didn’t mind. It was warm, in stark contrast to the seemingly colder room. And in plus, it was also helping support you as you oriented Noodle so you could carry her easier. When you finally did so, and swung your legs over the couch Russel helped you to stand. She stirred but soon fell back asleep. She was much lighter than you expected her to be, but you still had to lean back to compensate for her weight, of course. Her arms were semi-helpfully loosely wrapped around your neck, you locked your hands under her thighs.  
What also surprised you was the fact that Russel’s hand lingered a few seconds longer than it truly needed to. But only a few. Next thing you knew Russel had hiked 2D up over his shoulder like a very long and spindly sack of potatoes. The latter didn’t even seem to notice the change.  
“Ready?” Russel asked, walking towards you and therefore towards the door. You simply nodded and stepped around Noodle’s helmet. That brought it to Russel’s attention, and with his free hand he picked it up. He then signaled, with a nod of his head, that you were good to go.  
You walked to the door and carefully nudged the door open with your foot. You waited outside for Russel, who followed out after you. Then, it was your turn to follow as he led the way to the elevator. The hallways were dark and winding, and you wondered how anyone could find their way around this place without getting lost. When your group got the the elevator finally the fluorescent lights nearly blinded you. You blinked rapidly and stepped in next to Russel. It was kind of a tight fit with everyone in there.  
"I’m thinkin’ that we should drop off ‘D first, cuz he’s on the second floor. But then you’d hafta carry Noods-” Russel started. You smiled up at him and hiked Noodle up a bit.  
“That’s fine. I can carry her. She’s actually pretty light.” You cut off, as politely as you could. He just nodded and clicked the second floor button and the doors slid closed.  
The elevator ride was over in a flash and then Russel was off again, checking over his unburdened shoulder to make sure you were following okay. Which you were.  
He again winded through the hallways, stopping outside a door messily labeled ‘2D’s room’ -which you of course thought was adorable. Russel set down the helmet so he could open the door. When he did you moved to follow, but he stopped in the doorway, turning back towards you.  
“Uh… ‘D’s room ain’t exactly clean. Maybe you should wait out here for a moment…” He said. You nodded and he entered the room. You went to stand outside of the doorway, and caught a glimpse inside the room. There were clothes strewn about everywhere, it smelled faintly of cigarette smoke, there were posters and pictures on the walls, and many other assorted knick knacks and room items everywhere.  
You had honestly seen worse. But you respected Russel’s wishes and opted to watch him quickly tuck 2D into bed. When he finished with that he left the room and shut the door behind him. He smiled. Geez, he looked so tired right now, the bags under his eyes were really dark.  
You probably didn’t look much different. You self-consciously wondered how your hair look, but Russel pulled you out of your thoughts.  
“Shall we?” He asked, picking up her helmet. You returned his grin.  
“Let’s.” You responded. This time the elevator lights didn’t nearly blind you, but they did make your eyes feel heavy. You were really tired. When the elevator stopped your legs felt a bit wobbly and you stumbled a bit. Russel grabbed your arm to steady you. You hiked up Noodle again.  
“You okay?” He asked you, he looked genuinely concerned.  
“Yeah, sorry. I just, the elevator made me a bit off balanced for a moment there.” You explained. What time was it anyway?  
“You want me to take her?” He asked you, loosening his grip on you, but not letting go quite yet.  
“Yeah, I’m good. Her room is just over there anyway.” You insisted, feeling a bit embarrassed now. He hummed, letting you go. You led the way this time, the bright red of the hallways somewhat subdued in the low light. When you came up to the door Russel opened it up for you. You both didn’t bother to turn on the lights. Russel pulled back the bed covers and you walked over to it, gently kicking away a shirt that got snagged on your foot. You leaned forward until her back touched the bed. Then you pulled your hands away and gently pried hers from around your neck. You stood straight and popped your back as Russel covered her in the blankets. He took a teddy bear and pushed it next to her, setting her helmet next to her bed.  
He looked at you, and you nodded. You both left the room, shutting the door behind you. You stretch and stifled a yawn walking down the dimly lit corridor. You smiled at Russel.  
“Shall we go tidy up the... uh... living room?” You asked, you didn’t really know what to call it.  
“Yeah, lets.” He agreed, but didn’t fill in the blank. You huffed. You would ask later. You both stepped onto the elevator, choosing your floor and watching the lights flicker in the hallway as the doors shut.  
“Creepy…” You mumbled. Russel looked at you and cocked a questioning eyebrow. You just shook your head as the elevator lurched to a stop and the doors slid open. He led to game room (as you had decided to call it for the sake of consistency). Inside he went over and switched on the 60’s lamp, instead of the main light. At which you were infinitely grateful for, you hadn’t wanted to be blinded and hiss like a vampire at the sunlight.  
He went over to the couches and started to fold the blankets. You followed suit, placing your just-in-case bag on a nightstand next to the door. After about two minutes of silence you decided you needed to talk or else you would fall back asleep.  
“So…” You awkwardly started. Russel made a noise to tell you he was listening. You racked your brain for something to say. Oh! But, should you tell him that…?  
“I uh, I met Del earlier. “ You said, Russel groaned and turned to you with a sheepish grin.  
“What did he say to you? Nothing bad I hope… Del has his own way with words, and sometimes does things he probably shouldn’t…” He explained. You thought of him looking inside your just-in-case bag. You were glad Russel didn’t know but oh god now you were picturing you and Russel… ‘Boy, you and me both know that Russ couldn’t go THIS many rounds!’  
Your heart sped up and you coughed a bit to cover up your squeak at that memory, turning away and smoothing out the blanket you were folding currently.  
“N-no,” You lied-- like a liar. “He didn’t saying anything too bad, just asked me questions, and talked with me about stuff. Like the rain and anime and stuff, ya know? No biggie.” You said, grabbing another blanket from the recliner that both Del and Murdoc had lounged on. Russel chuckled.  
“He didn’t scare you, did he?” Russel asked.  
“Not particularly, but I wasn’t expecting to meet a ghost when I came over…” You answered. He hummed again.  
“Do your friends know that you’re sleeping here tonight?” He asked, you turned around to see Russel was one blanket away from being done-- like you yourself were. Ah, yet another embarrassing conversation about you and Russel getting it on.  
“Y-yeah, I did earlier when I was talking to Del.” You said. You finished folding that blanket and stacked it atop the others. You paused as Russel came up to you, adding his blanket to the stack. There, all done…  
“Speaking of which, where am I going to sleep?” You asked. Maybe in here on the couch? Anywhere but that creepy hallway room they had put you in last time. Russel thought for a moment.  
“You could sleep in the room we put you in before.” He suggested. You wrinkled your nose unconsciously, getting ready to force a smile and go with it. He saw this and smirked.  
“Or… there is a spare room next to mine I think?” He pondered aloud. You beamed, anything was better than that horror show of a hallway. You voiced this opinion and he chuckled.  
“Then let’s go.” He said, going and turning out the light. You nodded and followed again, grabbing your stuff. You made it to the elevator.  
The doors opened, you were on the third floor.  
“It’s this way.” He said, turning down the hall. You quietly followed after, stifling a yawn. You were very ready to go to sleep.  
He led you to a door that you assumed was his room. It was. He opened the door, before hesitating and turning around.  
“Do you need something to sleep in?” He asked you, only briefly glancing at your eyes. “Cause’ ya know, sleeping in your day clothes is kinda uncomfortable…”  
“Yes, I would love to have something to sleep in, thank you.” You replied, bashfully looking away. You were going to wear his clothes! Or he had extra night clothing in your size. If so this man was super prepared.  
He smiled.  
“One sec.” He quickly disappeared into his room. You stood in the hall looking around and just listening to Russel putter around in his room. You looked down the darker part of the hall, to your left.  
Was-  
Did something just move?!  
No. You were tired that had to be just your imagination. You turned fully to that side of the hall, fidgeting nervously.  
There was clicking. Like the kind from a demon movies. Nope! Nope! Nope! Your eyes widened and you darted into Russel’s room with a scared squeak, (that you will later deny ever happened) and shut the door behind you. Well more like slammed. You cringed at the sound and hoped you didn’t just wake someone up. That would be bad.  
But not as bad as a demon, sooo…  
Oh, you were now in Russel’s room, in the dark, with the door shut. There wasn’t anymore sounds in the room other than your panicked breathing. Only a couple of seconds had gone by at this point.  
At least you couldn’t hear the clicking anymore. Oh god please don’t be in the room, please don’t be in the room-  
“Russ…?” You called out weakly. You couldn’t see a thing. There were shuffling noises, and Russel said your name questioningly.  
“What’s wrong? Are you okay? What happened?” He asked you. Woah he sounded a lot closer. Wait, were his eyes faintly glowing? That was awesome and creepy at the same time. Also, why was he looking for clothes in the dark? He asked you questions, idiot! Answer them! You mentally reminded yourself. You thought back to the clicking and the thing in the hallway that moved, should you tell him? Would he think you were just crazy? But if that thing was real he needed to know.  
“I-I-I…” You stuttered out finally, “I thought I saw something in the hall, and there were crazy clicking noises, and it scared me, and so I ran in here, because I- I didn’t want to be in the hall by myself….” You ended weakly. Yup, that sounded crazy when you said it out loud. Russel hummed in contemplation. He took a few steps forward and you felt something being pushed gently against your chest. Oh it was clothes.  
“Here, take this. It’s a shirt and some, uh, shorts. Well they’re boxers that you can wear like shorts. My shorts would have been too big for you, ya know?” He explained. You nodded and then blushed, dummy he can’t see you!  
“Yeah, thank you.” You reached up to grab the clothes from his grasp. Your fingers brushed over his wrist and you pulled away like you had been burned, well your cheeks were burning, did that count? You tried again and successfully grabbed the clothes this time. You looked up at him, well at his eyes, as they were pretty much the only thing you could currently see. Well that and his nose, because his eyes illuminated that faintly, as well.  
You nervously glanced back at the door, and subsequently back out at the hallway. You did not want to go back out there with that thing that may or may not have existed. You realized that Russel never actually commented on what you said. That made you uneasy.  
“Here, if you want I can turn around and you can change in here.” He offered. You chuckled. It was almost pitch black in here. But yeah, you were not too keen on going back out there. You nodded again and then immediately felt dumb. Russel chuckled, though you didn’t know why.  
“Yeah, that’s okay. I don’t wanna go back out quite yet…” You mumbled. You heard the shuffling of footsteps. He had moved away and turned his back to you.  
“I’ve turned around, you can change now.” He informed you. You stopped yourself from nodding again. No, not a third time!  
You quickly got the changing, heart speeding up. You put his clothes between your legs so you wouldn’t lose them and placed your bag on the floor next to your feet.  
You took off your shirt and put on his. It was practically a dress on you. Yesss this was great! You placed your tee and dress shirt on the ground next you your bag. Next you unlaced your jeans and shimmed them down your hips, taking the “shorts” in your hand instead. The jeans pooled at your feet and you stepped out of them, feeling dumb. You were still wearing your shoes. You quickly took those of as well. Next you pulled on the shorts, which thanks to the elastic, fit you. If not a little too loosely. Next you combed your hair back with your fingers. All ready for bed.  
“Done!” You announced, gathering up your things. You really didn’t wanna be that dumb person in the movie that assumed the coast was clear and went galavanting out to their bloody death.  
“Ready for bed?” He asked. You hummed, but didn’t give an answer right away. You searched for the door handle. When you found it you slowly opened up the door and poked your head out into the hallway. Damn it was bright out here. You rapidly blinked and looked around. WHAT OH HELL NO! Little gIRL ON THE CEILING! She clicked and started to turn her head to look at you.  
You slammed the door again, hyperventilating.  
“Russel!” You whisper shouted, “There is a DEMON GIRL out there, this is not a drill, we’re gonna to die!” You wailed. Your eyes started to water and you held back tears. This is not how you wanted to die. Not in some creepy mansion and not murdered by a demon. Russel quickly walked up to you and smooshed you into a hug. He pet your hair soothingly and rocked you back and forth. You clutched onto his clothes and choked back sobs. You couldn’t believe you were about to die. There was so much left to do and-  
“Was she by chance on the ceiling?” He asked softly. You stiffened and forced yourself to relax and try to take a deep breath. You nodded your head against his chest. He sighed. Cussing under his breath.  
“She won’t come in, but uh, you should probably stay in here tonight.” He said. Your eyes widened in the darkness and you pulled back slightly to look at his eyes.  
“Y-You know her?!” You asked incredulously. He sighed again.  
“Yeah, this place isn’t exactly the most paranormally pleasant to be. But I haven’t seen that one for a while… she must have come to check you out or something.. I don’t know! This usually doesn’t happen, they usually just mind their own damn business!” The last part he raised his voice for, and you wondered if he was yelling at the thing out there. He muttered your name to make sure he had your attention.  
“I’m really sorry about this. I hadn’t expected you to spend the night. This place has history… dark history… and I’m sorry that you had to witness this. She won’t hurt us, the ghosts here don’t do that. Though, they uh do like to be mischievous sometimes... “ He explained, carding his fingers through your hair again to try and calm you down. If you weren’t so terrified you would be embarrassed by this display and maybe more focused on the fact that Russel, the Gorillaz’s drummer, was currently rocking you in his arms. But you were more focused on the demon-ghost-girl.  
“Still haven’t found my other shoe yet…” He muttered. Did, did a ghost take his shoe? You broke a smile out at that.  
Wait wait wait wait, rewind a little there. Did he say you have to sleep in here? With him???  
“Russ? D-Did you say I have to sleep in here tonight?” You asked meekly. The fingers in your hair stopped their rhythmic motion and you missed his touch almost instantly. Was he going to pull away? He was, much to your disappointment. But you only let your face show it for a split moment.  
“Yeah, but I can sleep on the floor. I have some spare blankets-” He replied quickly.  
“No!” You interjected, you couldn’t take the bed! “You can sleep on the bed, I can sleep on the floor, it’s your room after all and I’m kind of intruding right now…” You hurriedly added. Shit ugh please don't get the wrong idea, you mentally cursed.  
“But, you’re the guest.” He insisted. You pouted. You didn’t want him to sleep on the floor…  
There was a scratch on the door behind you. NOPE! You yelped and stumbled forward into Russel. God, this was embarrassing. The ghost was just fucking with you. How rude ghost, how rude. But it was working, so uh, touche ghost.  
You squeezed your eyes tightly shut and gripped onto the front of his shirt, were you shaking? You paused trying to still yourself. Yes you were shaking. Russel grumbled something that you didn’t quite catch. You were too deep into your own thoughts. His fingers were carding through your hair again. Just ask, idiot! Don’t be chicken, just ask! You wiped your face on the shirt you were wearing, drying your cheeks quickly. You could do this.  
You opened your mouth to ask, closed in again, squeezed your eyes tightly shut and forced yourself to speak.  
“W-Will you sleep on the bed with me? I really don’t want to be alone, but you, of course, don’t have to! That’s also completely fine! I’m not trying to be weird or like, trying to do anything weird…” Okay that’s enough stop talking! “I pinky promise, but I really hate ghosts…” Shit, Del! “B-But not ALL ghosts, Del is a pretty cool guy!” You shut your mouth tight. Well at least this couldn’t get worse?  
“Uh, sure. I think my bed can fit two…” He said nonchalantly. Good thing it was too dark to see his barely smirk. Good thing you were too busy beating yourself up to hear the smile in his voice. You sighed heavily.  
“Thanks, Russ..”  
He released you and put his hand on the small of your back to lead you to the bed. He must really know his room well…  
“Here, you can put your stuff next to the bed.” You did as you were told and set your stuff down, putting your just-in-case bag below everything else. You proceeded to climb up onto the bed and slide under the covers. You were trying to get into a comfortable position, and ended up on your side facing the center of the bed. That might be awkward? You didn’t care anymore, you were too tired. You yawned and listened to Russel change his clothes, your eyes shut. Not that it mattered anyway.  
The swishing of fabric stopped finally and Russel walked towards the bed. He too, got under the covers and got comfortable. You were both now laying face to face. But you didn’t really know that.  
“Goodnight, Russ…” You murmured sleepily.  
“Night, sweetheart…” He murmured back. You blushed and smiled at the pet name he had used on you only once before. You sighed and let yourself finally get some real sleep.


	7. Boo!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Del, fun Noodle wake up times, Russel makes breako, 2D is a sad boi, Murdoc is a weird boi, just in case bag to the rescue

Hazy red light filtered over your face. You winced and turned away, burying your face into the pillow. You relaxed, falling back asleep… until said pillow moved.  
You jerked back and opened your eyes, sitting up. This was not your bed, this was not your bed. You sat up and rubbed your eyes, a hand over your heart. This was Russel’s room, no need to flip out.  
Oh my goodness. You slept in Russel’s room, in Russel’s bed, with Russel. You sucked in a breath, and quickly tried to smooth your hair down, combing your fingers through it to try and fix it. You looked down at yourself to make sure none of your clothing was askew in any embarrassing way. Yup yup just wearing Russel’s clothes and sleeping in his bed with him. Nothing weird here, haha…  
Your face burned as you turned around to check if Russel was awake yet. Nope. He was wrapped up in the blankets with an arm covering his face. The soft red light of the room dancing across his arm and neck. You stared at the swirling light fascinated for a few moments before a wispy smoke came from Russel’s head, the light traveling through it in soft streaks. It then solidified and glitched, forming into your friendly neighborhood ghost.  
“Whatchu starin’ at, boo?” Del asked you with a knowing tone. You blushed at his wide smirk.  
“N-nothing! Why are you here?” You asked, turning away from him to survey the room you were in. There was a window, covered by red curtains, that would explain the red light. The sky outside was white, and the pitter-patter of rain could be heard against the window panes. There was his dresser, with various knick-knacks on top, and by the door was a desk with drawers and a comfy looking computer chair next to it. On top of the desk was a scattered pile of papers, and a few other office related tools. The floor had clothes strewn about here and there, and in the corner next to a tool box was, a… was that a stuffed pig? Was that real?! It was real. You frowned and turned away, looking back to Del. To each their own you guessed...  
“So, boo, you got some with Russ, huh? Did he prove me wro-” He probed, but you quickly cut him off.  
“N-no! There was NONE of that! Nothing happened but sleep! There were demon ghost girls and no s-sexy times happened! Okay?!” You said in a startled whisper-shout. You huffed loudly and fell back against the pillows, shaking the bed some. Del chuckled.  
“And stopped calling me ‘Boo’!” You grumbled, crossing your arms like a petulant child. He hovered above you for a moment before floating down to straddle your hips. Touching him made your skin feel like it had faint pins-and-needles.  
“Come oooon, it fit’s you, dontcha think?” He said, leaning forward. You blushed and looked off to the side, but refused to give in to his antics and have a reaction.  
You glanced at him and glared playfully, before sticking your tongue out and trying to roll over to get your phone. But Del was surprisingly heavy and solid. He just laughed at your groan.  
“C’mon let me up now Deeeel. I need to check the time!” You whined.  
“Not until you agree to let me call you ‘boo’, boo.” He teased. Then you got a wonderful idea. You lidded your eyes and propped yourself up on your elbows, biting your lip. He glanced down at your mouth in surprise.  
“And what if I don’t agree?” You asked huskily, mentally screaming to try and keep your composure.  
“Th-then… I would- Wah!” He shouted as you quickly rolled yourself, and subsequently him, onto the floor. You were on top now, laughing loudly. He just looked shocked before laughing as well. You reached around him and grabbed your just-in-case bag, pulling it out to check your phone. It was 8:29am. You had a few new texts, but you decided to check them in a bit.  
“Hmmm, I should wake up Russ…” You pondered aloud, chewing on your lip again.  
“What, you tryna get rid of me already?” He asked with mock hurt in his voice. You used your free hand against his chest and pushed yourself into a standing position as he lay on the ground. You scoffed.  
“Um, of course I am?” You mocked with a smile, and then with your best valley girl accent you could muster, “Uuhhh, why would I want to spend time with you, huh?”  
You stepped around the bed to Russel’s side to wake him up, but waited until Del pushed himself up to lean up onto the other side of the bed. He laughed and rested his head in his arms and muttered something under his breath.  
“Huh?” You asked, you didn’t hear what he said. He quickly looked up at you.  
“Ah, s’nothing, boo. I mean, it’s nothing.” He corrected himself to not call you the nickname slash term of endearment. You puffed out your cheek, glancing to the side.  
“You c-can call me that, if you’d like…” You mumbled bashfully.  
“What?” He questioned. You cleared your throat and repeated yourself more confidently.  
“Oh, I said you can call me ‘boo’ if you’d like. I don’t actually mind, I was just giving you shit.” You smiled.  
“Kay, boo.” He laughed. You giggled with him before dramatically gesturing to Russel.  
“Can I wake him up now?” You asked in a mock annoyed tone. He opened his mouth before stopping himself.  
“Hold up one sec.” He stopped you, before ruffling through Russel’s drawers and pulling out what looked like a grocery receipt and a pen.  
“What are you doing?” You asked curiously. He held up a finger on his non-dominant hand, and you hummed affirmatively and he scribbled something down on the paper. When he was finished he let the pen clatter onto the nightstand noisily before turning back to you.  
“There, done. But this is for Russ, so don’t read it, ya dig?” He asked with a mischievous smile. You frowned but nodded, you wouldn’t pry if someone didn’t want you to.  
“Good. Now you can wake him up.” He reached over and ruffled your already messy hair. You gave him an un-amused look before you smiled and gave him a two finger salute as he retreated back into Russel’s head. You smoothed down your hair before seeing Russel wake up with a start. Your eyes widened in concern and you took a step towards him.  
“Russ, you okay there, bud?” You asked cautiously. He slowly took his arm away from his eyes and blinked at you. He paused for a moment, looking you up and down quickly before sitting up and yawning. With his dark skin you missed the slight blush that he expertly hid at your guys’ current situation.  
“Oh, yeah. I’m good.” He finally answered sleepily. You smiled in relief at him.  
“Good morning.” You greeted. Yes, it was morning…. and on that thought. You really had to pee, huh? Was it safe to go out there yet?  
“Mornin’, do you know what time it is?” He asked stretching and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.  
“Uh.. it’s…” You woke up your phone to read the time. “8:32. AM, of course.” He nodded.  
“Actually Russ, is it safe to go out yet? I kinda need to use the bathroom…” You explained sheepishly.  
“Oh! Yeah! It should be. Do you remember where the bathroom is?” He asked you. You nodded.  
“Would you mind waking up Noodle when you're done? I think I’m gonna go make breakfast once I get dressed. You nodded and went to go collect your stuff to take to the bathroom, waking up to the door, and glancing back to see Russel rummaging through his clothes drawers. You turned to knob before stopping.  
“Oh yeah! Del left a note for you on the table, but I don’t know what it says.” You shouted over your shoulder as you made your way out of the room, shutting the door behind you. You jogged down the hall towards the elevator. Damn you, bladder.  
You bounced for the entirety of the short elevator ride. Once the elevator doors were open you were jogging down the hall again. You quickly passed by 2D, who was sleepily emerging out of his room. You smiled and shouted a quick greeting.  
He rubbed his eyes, and took in your outfit as you disappeared into the bathrooms. Were you wearing Russel’s clothes…? He shook his head at the thought.  
In the bathroom you quickly took care of your business, before washing your hands, your face, and brushing your teeth. As you were brushing your hair you took a step back from the mirror to take in your current clothing situation. You absentmindedly pulled the brush through your hair as you stared at yourself in the mirror. Geez, you looked good in Russel’s clothes, cute even. Is it weird if you kind of liked it?  
You glanced around the empty space just to make sure no one was watching before you hesitantly buried your nose into the front of the shirt and sniffed it. It smelled like something herbal, natural musk, and faintly of burning. Was that what Russel smelled like? You glanced up into the mirror and made eye contact with yourself. WHY WERE YOU SO WEIRD?!  
You let go of the shirt and quickly finished brushing your hair and changed your clothing. You folded up your borrowed clothes and heading up to wake up Noodle.  
You lightly knocked on her door when you finally made it there before opening it. Light filtered in through her window softly illuminating the room. You went over to her bed and sat on the edge. You pushed her hair out of her face and rubbed her arm soothingly.  
“ヌードルちゃん、おきて。。。あさです！” (Noodle, wake up. It’s morning!) You coaxed softly. She grumbled something and sighed.  
“Nooooodle, it’s time to wake up now…” You said a bit more loudly. She groaned again and yawned, The arm that you had been rubbing moved so she could rub the sleep from her eyes. She blinked her eyes open and scratched her head groggily. You smiled brightly at her.  
“おはよう〜！” (G’Morning~!) You sing-songed at her. She smiled back at you.  
“おはよう！なんじですか？” (G’Morning! What time is it?) She asked, sitting up and stretching. You pulled your phone out and looked at the time. You paused and collected yourself mumbling and counting on your fingers. Noodle patiently waited, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Before you abruptly stopped and felt stupid. You laughed nervously and just showed her the time on your screen. She giggled and gave you what you guessed was meant to be a reassuring look.  
“ペコペコですか？いま、ラスルさんはあさごはんをつくります…とおもういます。” (Are you hungry? Right now, Russel is making breakfast… I think.) You asked her.  
”はい、ペコペコです。でも、わたしはふくを…” (Yes, I am hungry. But, I clothes….) She trailed off, looking pensive. But also resolved about something. “No put-o on...yet.” She said nervously. Your face lit up. Noodle had tried to speak English, and had gotten her point across.  
“わ…わかりましー” (D-did you understa-) She began to ask tentively.  
”ヌードル！よかった！きみのえいごはよかったです！とてもうれしい！” (Noodle! That was good! Your English was good! I’m so happy!) You gushed, cutting her off. She smiled widely as you hugged her, lifting her up. She made a surprised noise and clung onto you as best you could. You set her down and rustled her hair. You wondered where she had learned that.  
“Ok ok! Put on your clothes, I will wait for you, outside.” You told her, enunciating you words clearly, and trying to find the most simple way to put it. She looked confused, so you tried again.  
You gestured with your open palm at her. “Noodle…” Then at the clothes. “Put on clothes…” Then pointed at yourself. “I…” Then you walked over to the door, opening it and flipping the light switch on. You stepped out into the hallway, standing stock still outside the door and pointed at the ground. “Wait here.”  
Then you cleared your throat and put it all together properly.  
“Noodle you put on clothes, and I’ll wait here.” You repeated. “わかる？” (Understand?)  
She smiled and nodded and you closed the door to give her privacy. You slid down the adjacent wall into a sitting position. You reflected on your time here. These past couple of weeks have been crazy, like you had been dropped into a movie or something. You literally met your favorite band and befriended them. You literally SNUGGLED with two of the members of your favorite band last night. You have met a ghost. A literal ghost. You of all people. This shit is crazy.  
You sighed, this was too much to process all at once. You opted to just stare at the carpet and make patterns out of the stains quietly until Noodle opened the door. She was dressed in her usual attire, helmet and all, and held her bathroom supplies.  
”いこ？” (Shall we?) You questioned. She nodded and you pushed yourself up off of the ground.  
She skipped down the hall towards this floor’s bathrooms and you followed after at a brisk walk, smiling at her energy. She suddenly stopped and turned back to you, calling out your name.  
”いしょうにしませんか？” (You wanna do it together?) She invited, and you giggled.  
”しましょう！” (Let’s do it!) You agreed over enthusiastically. She held out her free hand to you and you took it and with one more shared look you both started skipping down the hallway together.  
Noodle was quick in the bathroom, and you both eagerly made your way to the elevator. You called it and waited.  
The elevator ride was a quick trip, and the walk to the kitchen area was filled with both you and Noodle humming a dumb Japanese nursery rhyme that you had just never forgotten. The door to the small kitchen/ dining room was open and it smelled great in there! You and Noodle shared and excited look.  
“ラセルさんのりようりがとてもおいしいですよ！” (Russel’s cooking is really yummy!) She gushed enthusiastically, before looking a bit embarrassed. You giggled and followed her in.  
Russel was in front of the stove intent on a pan in front of him, back in his adorable apron. 2D was sitting at the table rubbing the bridge of his nose and looking a bit under the weather. You knitted your brows in worry, should you ask him about it?  
Noodle launched herself over to Russel and attached herself to his side, and then proceeded to climb up him and latch herself onto him like a backpack. You snorted into your hand at the sight and Russel chuckled.  
“おはよう！” (Morning!) Noodle chirped.  
“Mornin’ Noodz, but hey, ya gotta ask before you just go and climb on people like that.” He chided softly. He turned towards you.  
“Good morning. Ya hungry?” He questioned. Your stomach growled at the thought of eating. You blushed.  
“Yup!” You answered sheepishly. Russel chuckled again. Pointing at the small round table.  
“Why don’t you sit down while I finish up here?” He offered. You smiled and hummed an affirmative before sitting down next to 2D. He looked a little worse than when you first came in. You pursed your lips.  
“You okay there, 2D?” You asked softly. 2D slowly lifted his head up to look at you.  
“Uuuh, I-I-I just, I fink I’m gettin a migraine right now…. And I-I-I-I can’t find me meds.” He said softly, trailing off with a groan. He put his palms over his eyes to block out the light. That’s when you remembered something. You remember seeing a small pill bottle in your just in case bag. It was probably the ibuprofen that you kept up in the medicine cabinet. Well it must be some sort of pain-killers. Hmm it was worth a shot. Poor 2D, migraines were the worst.  
“Hey ‘D,” You coaxed softly, “I think I have some painkillers in my bag, would those help, by chance?”  
He moved a hand away from one of his dark eyes, and scrunched up his eyebrows.  
“That might work. Me meds are pretty strong though…” He contemplated.  
“Anything is better than nothing, though, right?” You reasoned.  
“Yeah, I guess you’re right…” He agreed. You bit your lip.  
You dug around in your bag, carefully aiming it away from the view of the room’s other occupants. Ah there! You took out the small bottle and read the lable.  
“Hmmm, kay ‘D. It says one every few hours, two if it really sucks, and no more than six in a day. So like, if you want some you can have like three now. I usually take two, so uh, I dunno.” You explained, sorta-kinda.  
“So… three work for you?” You asked.  
“Yeah, thanks a bunch.” He mumbled with a pained smiled as you popped three in his hand. He then put those into his mouth and swallowed them. Dry. How did he do that without water?!  
“Y-You want some water or juice or something?” You asked shocked. He covered his eyes again.  
“Water would be great.” He sighed. You got up and went over to Russel.  
“Hey Russ, 2D is getting a migraine.” You told him. Russel hummed as he thought.  
“Did he tell you if he took his medicine yet?” Russel asked you.  
“He lost it, actually. But I gave him some ibuprofen.” You explained. Russel sighed heavily.  
“Thanks. Guess we should quickly feed him before he hides in his room….” Russel mused aloud.  
“Actually, where are your cups?” You asked. Russel pointed at a cupboard nearby. You walked over to it and pulled down a glass. You felt a tug on your shirt and looked down to find Noodle there with a confused look in her eyes.  
“２Dのあたまがいたんです。” (2D’s head hurts.) You explained. She nodded and looked mournful.  
“あ、そうですか。。。すみません、すぐもどります。” (Ah, is that so… excuse me, I’ll be right back.) She said. Though you didn’t really understand the last part. Then she was leaving. You raised an eyebrow, but got 2D some water and set in gently in front of him. He quietly thanked you. You smiled, and waved the gesture off.  
Russel walked over and served four plates worth of food, and you all ate silently for 2D’s sake. You still were curious about where Noodle went, but Russel didn’t seem concerned in the slightest, so you let yourself relax and enjoy the yummy breakfast.  
In a short while Noodle was back and sat and ate with the rest of you quietly. But soon after that 2D groaned and excused himself, thanking everyone and going to take refuge in his room. He had only eaten about half of his food.  
You called quiet well wishes after him, and then the room was silent once more. Awkwardly so, though. You finally decided to break the silence.  
“So… uh… where did she go? Do you know?” You asked, pointedly not saying Noodle’s name as to not confuse her. Noodle glanced up in non-comprehension but lost interest and continued eating her food (and 2D’s unfinished food.) with gusto.  
“Oh, she went to go prepare ‘D’s room for him. Ya know shut the curtains and clear a path for him and what not. His migraines get real bad, and they’re worse when he doesn’t have his meds. I should go find them… But anyway, she’s the quietest of us, so she usually brings him food, water, checks up on him and whatever. She has fun and ‘D gets taken care of. S’a win-win situation.” He explained. You nodded. Poor boy…  
“Uh, where’s Murdoc?” You asked hesitantly.  
“Probably down in the garage in his trailer-” Russel started to hypothesize, but was cut off.  
“She has a name ya know. Winnie.” Murdoc cut in. Then your phone went off as well.


	8. 'My deal'?

You fumbled with your bag and pulled the ringing device out, opening it.  
“Hello?” You asked into the receiver.  
“Oi! So how’s your date goin’?” It was Alaina.  
“Oh, hey ‘laina! It’s not goin’ anything at the moment because it’s not that.” You replied in a sickly sweet voice.  
“Ooh! ‘At the moment’ he says!” She giggled and you grumbled leaning against the wall.  
“Fine whatever. When do you think you’re gonna be back?” She asked you. Murdoc walked sauntered over to the table, sitting down in a sprawled out sort of way. He looked at the food on the table and grabbed the last heaping plate before digging in. You looked away and down at your shoes.  
“I dunno, soon, I think. My friend’s friend just got a migraine though, and it’s a pretty long drive, so… I just dunno right now.” You explained. You heard Alaina sigh.  
“Okay, okay, but please try to make it back before 3:30.” She told you.  
“Why- oh shit ‘laina! I forgot! Your thing! That’s today! Don’t worry, I’ll be there with time to spare. I promise!” You exclaimed.  
“You better make it to my play on time. I’ve been working on this shit for months!” She giggled.  
“I know, I know, I’ll be there! Love ya, bye!” You promised.  
“Love ya, bye.” She repeated back before hanging up.  
You sighed.  
“What is it, luv?” Murdoc asked with his mouth full.  
“Oh, uh, my friend has a play at 3:30 that I completely forgot about!” You explained.  
“Ah, and you need a ride, yeah?” Murdoc asked, slyly, a little too slyly. You decided not to answer that question.  
“Hmm, I can just call a taxi.” You said.  
“What, but that’ll be so expensive.” Russel cut in.  
“Yeah, I know. But y'all are busy with ‘D, and I really can’t be late for it.” You said guiltily. You really didn’t want to sound rude. Just, uh, maybe you could cut back on extras for a while.  
“No, I invited you over, and drove you here, It’s only fair. Noodz and Muds can look after ‘D. He doesn’t need much.” Russel stood up. Noodle looked confused.  
“なに？”( What?) She asked.  
”わたしはかえりたいです。わたしのともだちはわたしをいります。” (I want to go home. My friend needs me.) You explained.  
”あ、そうですか？はやくいってください。わたしたちはだいじょうぶです。” (Ah, really? Then hurry and go. We’ll be fine.) She urged you.  
”ありがとう！じき、あいましょう！” (Thanks! Let’s hang out soon!) You said gratefully.  
”はい！じゃね！” (Yeah, see ya!) She chimed.  
”じゃね！” (See ya!) You smiled.  
“Okay, Russ, Shall we go then? I have everything.” You asked.  
“Yeah, I’m ready.” He said walking towards you. You heard Murdoc grumble but didn’t catch what he said. You waved at Noodle warmly and followed Russel to the elevator that led down the garage.  
“Thanks again for this, Russ.” You told him in the elevator. He glanced over at you.  
“S’no problem. I need to make sure you get home okay, it’s only the right thing to do.” He explained. You smiled at him and he returned it back, kindly.  
When you got to the bottom he led you to the car he had driven you in both times before. He opened the door for you and you got in thanking him. From the back seat, he grabbed a hoodie and pulled it over himself.  
The engine revved to life and he pulled out of the massive garage, and out into the rainy morning.  
“You can mess with the radio if you’d like.” He told you while you both waited in silence for the front gates to open. You snapped out of your mindless task of reading a nearby gravestone. What a strange place to live.  
“Oh ok, thanks!” You smiled, reaching out and turning on the radio. You turned on some smooth jazz for some background noise. It was quiet in the car without Noodle. For once you really looked out the window, and at the studio ground’s surroundings. Once outside the gates, the sky cleared up, and you were currently driving down a long winding road, flanked by trees and not much else. When you finally turned off onto a main road of sorts Russel spoke.  
“So… We’ve never really gotten the chance to talk just you and me, huh?” He observed. You thought on that, whenever you were with him, there was someone else there, or you weren’t really in the right mindset to hold a valuable conversation.  
“Yeah, not really.” You agreed. Out of the window, buildings started to come about as you went into the town where the motorway entrance was. There were a few cute little shops and such. You turned towards him, and he glanced at you.  
“Do you wanna talk now, then? While we have the chance?” You offered. He smirked.  
“Yeah, I barely know anything about you. But I’m guessing you must know a lot about me.” He teased. You blushed.  
“That’s kind of true. But I mostly only know about your career history…” You defended. You felt so creepy now. He chuckled.  
“I’m just messing with you, don’t worry. It’s normal for people to know stuff about me in my line of work. But what about you? What’s your job.” He asked. You sighed.  
“I’m just a grocery store clerk.” You admitted embarrassed.  
“‘Just’? Every job is means something.” He said and you looked off to the side. Yeah right, he was just trying to make you feel better about yourself. You screwed up your dreams and now you stocked shelves and had people complain and yell at you for things out of your control. There was a lapse of silence, you didn’t know what to say. And you guessed neither did Russell.  
“Your accent, you’re American, right?” He asked. You nodded, before remembering he wasn’t looking at you.  
“Yup. I only moved over here a couple years ago, but I never got the British accent.” You explained. He hummed.  
“Same here. I don’t think my accent will ever change.” Russell chuckled. You smiled.  
“Anything else you want to know about me?” You asked him. Russell hummed and laughed before starting to ask you trivial questions, you giggled along with him and answered them with utmost seriousness. For every question he asked, you would ask the same question back to him.  
“So… what got you into music?” You finally asked him.  
“That’s a hard question. What got you into music?” He asked back at you. You hummed.  
“Music was my escape when I was little. My life was boring and I hated it, and music made it so much more exciting, and just interesting.”  
‘It drowned out my parent’s shouting’, You didn’t say.  
“It was a way I could express myself, and I loved to know everything I could about the artists, and write stories about them.”  
‘It filled in the lonely hours. No one wanted to be friends with the weird kid whose family was blatantly broken.’ You didn’t elaborate.  
“It’s so pretty, and ugh. Books and music were and are my life!” You enthused, chuckling. You leaned against the door after making sure it was locked. Your smile faltered for a moment before continuing.  
“So. What about you?” You asked him.  
“Well, my love for music, mainly hip-hop started in high school. I went to a public school down the street and I met all these guys who loved hip-hop, and were really talented with making it. We became friends and that really sparked my enthusiasm for music. After they died I went to go work with my uncle, for safety, and then Mudz kidnapped me, and then I joined the Gorillaz.” He looked over at you, and you felt his gaze on you. You turned towards him, meeting his eyes.  
Wait… meeting his eyes? He was driving! You looked out the windshield in alarm.  
“Russel! Eyes on the-! Oh.” You were at a red light. He laughed and you playfully swatted at his arm. He looked back at the road and continued driving when the light turned.  
“Don’t scare me like that!” You chastised him. He huffed.  
“Then maybe you should watch the road, as well, if you didn’t want to be scared.” He countered. The smirk on his face told he wasn’t serious, though. You both lapsed into silence, was it awkward or were you just feeling awkward? Or does your feeling awkward make it awkward by default? Anyhow you needed to break the silence.  
“Hey, Russ?” You started. He hummed in acknowledgement but kept his eyes on the road.  
“Can I ask why you guys were driving down my road when you first picked me up?” You asked, cringing at your choice of words. He thought for a moment.  
“I could ask the same of you.”He pointed out after a moment.  
“Touché…” You mumbled. You still wondered but didn’t want to reciprocate your reason for getting wasted by yourself.  
You both drove for a while longer making small talk here and there. When Russel turned off the highway and into your city, you felt a pang in your heart. You looked at the cars passing in the other direction on your right.  
“How does driving on the left side of the road feel like?” You asked him finally. In all your time living here, you had never needed to drive yourself anywhere. Everything was within walking distance or you called a cab. Russel glanced over at you in surprise.  
“You’ve never driven on the left side of the road, before?” He asked. You shook your head, realised he wasn’t looking at you, and then spoke.  
“No, I’ve never needed to here. I’m pretty much in walking distance of everything.” You explained. He chuckled.  
“It’s the exact opposite for me. I never needed to drive back home in Brooklyn, but once I came here and joined the band I needed to be able to drive because ‘D and Noodz can’t, and Mudz a terrible driver.” He chuckled, “So, it was a bit weird at first, but now it’s normal.”  
You hummed. That makes sense. It still was a bit weird for you to sit on the left side of the car. He pulled up to your flat and pulled over. He turned the car off, but he didn’t move to get up this time. You bit your lip and took that as your cue to go. You unbuckled your seatbelt and went to open the door.  
“Wait.” He said. You dropped your hand and turned towards him.  
“Yes?” You asked. He glanced away for a second before meeting your eyes and holding eye contact. What was he doing? He started leaning closer.  
Your heart was in your ears.  
But he stopped.  
“I have to ask what you’re deal is.” He asked finally.  
“‘My deal’?”  
“Yeah, what are your intentions. I know we met by chance and all. But, with our reputation, I need to know that you’re not a reporter or something along those lines. It would break Noodle’s heart.” You opened your mouth to defend yourself.  
“Before you say anything, I want you to know that if you have negative intentions for the band, that you can say so now. I will tell everyone else, and we’ll never speak again but I won’t get mad.” He explained.  
You felt hurt that he could think you would try to hurt him, or his bandmates.  
But, of course, he would, and should, worry about this. He had every right to. It was only logical.  
“No. I promise I’m not a reporter, or a gold digger, or looking to leech off of your fame. You can do anything you want to hide our friendship if that’s what you need to do. But I would never intend to hurt you or anyone else. I just want to be your friend.” You paused before adding. “B-but if you can’t trust me, and you’re ending it here I understand.” You squeaked out. Were you crying? You turned your face away so he wouldn’t notice. Were you going to lose more friends so soon?  
You quietly awaited his judgement.  
“I’ll trust you.” He finally said, “You seem like you have a good heart, and no news reports have come out yet, have they?”  
You laughed in relief and wiped your face on the back of your hands, but it only served to smudge your tears around.  
“Thank you! Also, sorry… when did I become such a crybaby?” You joked. He handed you a tissue, and you thanked him again. He gave you a moment to compose yourself.  
“Does it look like I’ve been crying?” You asked him. He scrutinized your face.  
“Not really. I think you’re good.” He said. You sighed in relief. He took some sunglasses out of the centre console.  
“Do you want me to walk you up?” He offered, putting on a hat. You looked at him skeptically.  
“Don’t you think someone will recognise you?” You pointed out warily.  
“Nah, with the hat and glasses and hoodie, usually no one notices.” He told you.  
“I have roommates,” You warned, “But they don’t really keep up with popular music or celebrity news.”  
“Then it should be fine.” He said, opening the car door.  
“Wait, Russ! One more thing.” You said, cheeks burning. He turned around and leaned back into the car.  
“What?” He prompted.  
“Th-they, if they come out, or I dunno, I didn’t say it was but uh, they think this was a…” Come on spit it out, this makes it look more suspicious! You internally lamented. You paused and took a deep breath.  
“Though I tried to tell them it wasn’t a date they didn’t believe me so… yeah.” You finally said.  
“Oh ok…” Was all he said before he shut the door. You grabbed your stuff and followed after him.  
You fell into step next to him and made it to the door quickly. You turned towards him.  
“Well, guess it’s time to say ‘goodbye’ for now, huh?” You mused playfully. He chuckled.  
“Bye, Russ, we should meet up again soon! If you wanted to.” You offered.  
“Of course. Noods would kill me if I didn’t invite you over again. Whenever you’re free works for us.” He confirmed sticking his thumbs into his pants’ pockets.  
“Hugs?” You said, opening your arms for an embrace. He laughed, pulling you against him and hugging you.  
“Hugs.” He echoed, patting your back.  
The front door swung open, and you both looked over to see Mary grinning widely. Oh no. Your face lights up like a Christmas tree, and Russel’s own cheeks warmed slightly after being caught in a compromising position. You pulled away quickly.  
“Hey. What are you doing out here?” You asked, tone laced with warning. She looked at you mischievously.  
“Inviting your friend in,” Mary said sweetly.  
“We made food, and thought you’d be hungry after such a long drive.” Mary clarified. You looked at Russel. He looked down at you.  
“If I wouldn’t be a bother, I don’t mind coming in for a bit.” He directed this statement at you. You sighed.  
"What about your play? Don't we need time for that?" You asked finally. Mary shook her head.  
"We've got time to eat!" Mary reassured you.  
“Okay then! If you're sure, it's fine by me.” You smiled, but your nerves buzzed underneath your skin.  
“Then give me a moment to turn the car off and I’ll be right in,” Russel said turning down the steps.


	9. Let's go!

“When did Alaina leave?” You asked Mary once inside, Russel stood near the doorway looking around.  
“Mmmm, earlier this morning to ‘elp set up!” She called as she walked into the kitchenette. Russel came over and stood next to you, and you remembered that you had yet to introduce them.  
“Oh! Russ, that’s Marilynn! Mary, this is Russel!” You exclaimed, Mary leaned over the connected island and set down some plates and silverware.  
“Nice to meet you, Russel!” Mary called to Russel.  
“It’s my pleasure, Marilynn. Thank you for inviting me in to eat.” Russel greeted politely.  
“You call me Mary! And psh, it’s no problem at all! Any…” She paused teasingly, “friend… of this fine gal is a friend of mine!”  
Russel chuckled at the insinuation and you looked off to the side bashfully.  
“Well, food’s in here, serve yourselves!” Mary invited, grabbing a plate and serving herself. You followed and made sure Russel followed you. It was a bit crowded in the kitchen area, and you were 110 percent sure Mary didn’t ‘accidentally’ bump you into Russel, who had easily caught you and righted you back on your feet.  
Once everyone got a plate of food you and you were situated in the living room on the couches-- You and Russel on the couch, and Mary on the recliner-- you all started idly chatting.  
“So, Russel…” Mary started, taking a bite of food. Russel hummed in acknowledgment.  
“Why are ya wearing sunglasses inside?” She asked, before seeming to pause at her own question. A look of horror flashed across her face. She looked over at you with quiet regret.  
“My eyes tend to scare new people.” Russel explained, and you guessed that wasn’t entirely untrue as to the reason why, “But, I’m not blind, if that’s what you were worried about being about. I get that a lot.”  
Marilynn’s shoulders relaxed.  
“Thank goodness, I thought I was just about the biggest arse hole for a second there. But, uh, you don’t have to worry about wearin’ your glasses inside if ya don’t want to. I promise I won’t run out screaming.”  
Russel looked over at you, and you knew what question he was asking. You thought for a moment before nodding while shrugging your shoulders. You were sure Mary could handle it.  
“Okay, brace yourself.” He took off the glasses and blinked at her with a smile. You could see your friend struggling not to react.  
“‘Kay then…” She said finally, taking a sip of water to hide her emotions. There was a heavy pause as she tried, and failed, not to stare at his eyes. After a second her face scrunched up and she brought a hand up to her eyes.  
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry this is rude, but ‘ow? I mean, ‘ow?” She kinda trailed off, looking flustered at her inability to articulate her thoughts. There was another pause, no more than a few seconds, and you wanted to break it. To say something. Anything. Your eyes darted back and forth.  
Russel started laughing. He clutched his belly and leaned forward, shoulders shaking. You lop-sidely smiled, his laughter contagious. You liked the sound of his laugh a lot.  
“S-Sorry, I’m sorry for laughing!” He took a few breaths, “I just, I’ve never gotten that reaction from people. But uh, as for the reason why: ghosts.” He explained finally, smirking mischievously.  
Mary looked at you bewildered. You snorted and covered your smile, nodding your head.  
“...ghosts?” She asked finally.  
“Ghosts. It’s a really long story.” He barely elaborated. Mary worried her lip and nodded, before standing up and grabbing her plate. She reached for Russel’s.  
“Ya done? You want seconds?” She asked.  
“I’m done, thank you.” Russel said. You nodded and Mary took your plate as well. You looked at the clock.  
“Hey, Mar?” You called.  
“Yeah?” She called back and you heard the faucet turn on.  
“We should go soon, yeah?” You asked.  
“You’re right. Lemme wash up, and we’ll go, okay?” She confirmed and you heard dishes clanging around. You tapped your feet together, the fabric of your socks swishing softly. You looked over at Russel, who was looking away from you at your bookcase.  
“So…” You said, he looked over at you, “If y-you’re not busy… I mean, you don’t have to, but I was wondering if you wanted to come to my friend’s play. If you have time. It’s not very long. I just, she could get us an extra ticket-” He chuckled and smiled at you, his eyes crinkling in amusement at your awkward proposition.  
“Yeah, sure. Lemme text Noodz, or Mudz.” He accepted finally.  
“Oh! I can help you text Noodle if you want me to.” You offered.  
“Oh, yeah thanks.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up his contacts. You leaned in until your shoulder brushed up against his arm to see the small screen. As he was scrolling through finding her contact, you saw yours. He had put a smiley face next to yours.  
That was… that’s adorable. You thought to yourself. He clicked on Noodle’s contact and surprisingly he had installed a Japanese keyboard, even if he didn’t know how to use it. You helped him say what he wanted to say, and helped him type it when he asked. It was a miracle he even texted you. His fingers were almost too big to press one button at a time. By the time you finished the text, Mary finished up the dishes.  
“You ready?” She asked you, drying her hands on a dish towel. You nodded.  
“Oh Mary, can Russel come with us?” You asked, giving her a look. ‘You better not say no, please don’t say no.’ look.  
She smirked knowingly, giving you a ‘knowing’ look. You stuck your tongue out at her.  
“Yeah, sure, Russel, you’re welcome to come. I’m sure Alaina will be excited to meet you.” She said to Russel.  
“Gimme a sec to grab my coat, and we’ll be off.” Marilynn said and walked down the hall. You and Russel sat in silence for a moment, you played with your fingers and looked over at Russel’s hands. He was rolling his little phone over and over in his palms. You shifted and realized how close you were sitting to him still. You fingers twitched and ever-so-slightly leaned away from him. You paused. Would it be so bad if you moved closer?  
You felt tense, and you hesitated before straightening back again, your arm brushed against his again. You looked at the edge of the couch but snuck a glance at Russel. He was looking down towards your hands. Why was he…?  
Mary walked back in loudly.  
“Okay kiddos! Let’s go! Whose drivin’?” She asked.  
Outside, you had decided you would take Russel’s car. He insisted, and Mary agreed. She would have to pay less for gas this way.  
You sat up front, Russel drove, and Mary sat in the back seat. You fumbled with your coat nervously. The atmosphere was different from the last time you were in this car. It seemed more real now with Mary in the car. You wished you could back to before. Carefree, light, dreamy.  
You looked out the window while Marilynn gave Russel directions to the venue Alaina was performing at. Soon, you pulled up and Russel parked. When he finally turned off the car his phone chimed to alert him of a text.  
He took off his seatbelt and opened the message. It was from Noodle.  
‘OK!!! :D’ it read. Russel smiled at the text and showed it to you. Gosh, she was too cute. Mary unbuckled her seatbelt and gathered her things stepping out of the car.  
“Come on, lovelies! We don’t wanna miss the show!” She cheered and you followed her out of the car. Russel made sure his sunglasses and hat were in place and followed after you.  
Inside the theatre, you gripped your playbill in your lap while Russel next to you actually looking through his. Mary, on your other side, was as excited as you to see your friend’s performance. A low murmur buzzed through the crowd as you all filed in and waited for the play to start. When everyone was seated the lights turned off and a spotlight followed a woman out onto the stage. The room hushed instantly and the play started.  
After the play ended you waited outside, a smile was still etched on your face. You looked up at Russel, with whom you were ‘alone' with. Mary had gone to the bathroom. The crowd around you was slowly thinning as people left, though a group was forming over by where you and Russel were standing.  
Thankfully not because Russel was recognized, but because the door you waited next to was where the actors would come out to see their family and friends for a moment between the plays. This showing was just the first of three tonight.  
“Did you have fun?” You finally asked Russel. He turned and looked at you. He smiled.  
“Yeah, it was really funny.” He said. You nodded enthusiastically.  
“You remember that part right before the intermission?” You asked him, he nodded, “Best part!”  
He laughed and patted your shoulder.  
“I liked the end the best. I’ve always been a sucker for a happy ending. But yeah, that part was pretty good!” He agreed, before adding on, “Your friend is a pretty good actor, the blonde, yeah?”  
“Mmhmm!” You confirmed. You looked over Russel’s shoulder and caught eyes with a stranger, you smiled (a knee-jerk reaction), but he just quickly turned and looked away.  
Okay, creep, don't smile back. You thought spitefully.  
You heard someone calling your name and you turned to see Mary. Her heels clicked loudly against the concrete as she skirted around a pot plant. She had a guy with her. You recognized him as Alaina’s boyfriend.  
“They come out yet?” She asked breathlessly when she got close enough to you guys. You shook your head and she smoothed down her skirt with a satisfied smile. You waved to Jeff. Mary noticed and looked over at her tall, lanky companion. She smiled and pointed a thumb at him.  
“Oh yeah, look who I found looking lost by the toilets.” She joked. Jeff chuckled.  
“What! I couldn’t find this ‘secret door’ thing that ‘laina was talking about. I’m bad with directions, you guys know that!” He defended pushing up his glasses. He finally realized Russel was apart of the group and leaned in, offering his hand.  
“Where are my manners! I’m Jeff, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jeff introduced kindly as Russel took his outstretched hand and shook it.  
“Call me Russ. It’s very nice to meet you, too.” Russel answered, and Jeff gave him a friendly smile.  
The crowd cheered and you looked over to see the door being propped open. Then the actors started coming out. They were met with hugs, compliments, and flowers. You saw Alaina looking for you guys.  
“'Laina!” You called. She looked towards the sound of your voice and half jogged over. You gave her a hug and complimented her performance before Mary did the same. Jeff congratulated her boisterously and hugged her, picking her feet up off the ground. He kissed her before setting her back down. Alaina smiled at all three of you before her eyes fell on Russel and his close proximity to you.  
She held out her hand with her smile. Russel shook it.  
“Hi, I’m Alaina, I don't believe we’ve met!” She introduced.  
“I’m Russel, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He replied, letting go of her hand and putting his hands back into his pockets.  
“I'm guessing you're the new friend my roomie’s been talking about, huh?” She asked, with a shit-eating grin. You sent her a glare. Russel put a hand on your shoulder and smirked at you.  
“All good things I hope?” He asked playfully. You smiled back.  
“Noooooo, psht. I bad mouthed you sooooo hard. They must hate you already!” You said sarcastically. His hand dropped and he laughed. You chuckled as well.  
There was a flash of light and you turned your head as another flash left you blinking confused before the guy you made eye contact with earlier ran off towards the parking lot.  
“What…?” You asked, did that guy just…?  
“Oh fuck.” Your eyes widened and you looked at Russel who mirrored your deer-caught-in-the-headlights look.  
“Shit. That's not good.” Russel breathed.  
“What? Did that guy just take pictures of us? What a creep!” Mary commented. You exchanged another look with Russel, ‘what do we do?????’ you tried to ask with just the look on your face.  
Alaina got excited and pulled a packet out of her satchel and started showing it to Mary and Jeff. You had to do something!  
“W-We have to go!” You announced all of the sudden. The rest of the group looked over at you. You tried to think of a good excuse.  
“Russ uh, he uh, his cat is sick! His friend just texted him so! It’s a really long drive so I think he should go. Mary?” You finished. You had to go, if more reporters came it would be a disaster!  
“I, I uh could drive you guys home if Russ is in a hurry!” Jeff volunteered. Mary accepted the offer, but you looked over at Russel.  
“I’m kinda worried about, Sppprinkles?" You looked over at Russel, 'Sprinkles'? That was the best cat name you could come up with?  
"I think I’m gonna leave now, so we can talk to his friend in the car. If that’s okay with you guys?” You asked. Mary and Alaina looked at each other.  
“Yeah, it’s fine by us. I hope your cat’s okay, Russel!” Alaina said. You hugged her, Mary, and Jeff before you and Russel started speed walking away.  
“Fuck fuck fuck, Russel what do we do?!” You whispered shouted once you were out of ear-shot of your friends. You started going left, but Russel put his hand on your back to lead you right. You couldn’t even remember where the goddamn car was!  
“I dunno... I gotta call the band. Are we sure he took a picture of us?” Russel asked, calm about the situation. You nodded. He sighed and pulled out his phone, and you both stopped outside of his car. He opened the passenger side door for you and got in on the other side.  
“Hello, Mudz? Yeah, it’s me…. Wait shh, listen for a sec, okay? Noodle told you we were going to the play tonight yeah? Well, it’s over- no, no, not that kind of- Mudz a reporter took a picture of us.” Russel explained to who you guessed was Murdoc. He turned on the car. There was a long pause.  
“Yeah, it did…. Yeah we’re leaving…. Gross, but okay…. Yeah, I’ll be back soon. Thanks, Mudz. Tell Noodle I said goodnight if I'm not back before then.” He flipped the phone shut and pulled on his seatbelt. You did the same and Russel pulled out of the parking space.


	10. Sprinkles the Cat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Russel deal with the aftermath of being caught like reasonable adults.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...but not really.

Sunshine filtered in through the window, and you looked out at it. Russel had been silent, and you followed suit, allowing him time to think. You were thinking, too. What were you to do? That guy could caption that picture with anything and Russel wouldn’t be able to defend himself. Gossip reporters were notorious for twisting words and finding double meanings.

You sighed through your nose and looked in the side mirror, there was a little black car behind you. You glanced over at Russel, his face was set in a frown.

“I’m sorry…” You mumbled. This was your fault, you should have stayed away. You were Alice and they were Wonderland and you were waking-

“What for? Ain’t your fault. Nothing we can do about it now ‘cept hope they find another more interesting story or say something not so damning. I had fun at the play. I apologize for you not getting to stay with your friends.” He replied evenly. You cracked a smile, hoping to make the situation more light-hearted. He was right, you knew, you couldn’t dwell on it now.

“But Sprinkles! We had to check on Sprinkles!” You joked. Russel chuckled and hummed in playful agreement. They was another silence as you got stuck at a red light. You looked out of the window again. 

You knew this place! They had the best ice cream!

“Hey, Russ…? Since we’ve already been ‘caught,” You made finger quotations, “can we maybe stop for ice cream? This place has the best ice cream and ice cream makes you happy! It’s science.” You said as convincingly as you could. He looked over at you, the corners of his mouth twitching up.

“This place over here on the left?” He asked, pointing to the little parlor with ice cream cones drawn on the glass windows.

“Yup!” You confirmed. The light turned green and he started moving forward.

“Sure why not. Maybe we’ll think of good excuses while eating.” He reasoned and you slyly pumped your fist in childish excitement. 

Thankfully Russel didn’t notice.

He pulled into the plaza parking lot and parked near the back, as it was kind of crowded. He fixed his glasses in the rear-view mirror and grabbed a different jacket from the back of his car, swapping out the one he was currently wearing.

When you both made eye-contact he shrugged.

“You can never be too careful.” You both got out of the car and made your way towards the ice cream shop. Inside was kind of crowded, so Russel kept his head down, but you ordered just fine and only noticed a few teens in the corner whispering and trying to sneak glances your guys’ way. You left the shop with your ice cream and stood in the sun. You looked over at Russel’s regular-looking car and tried to imagine what those teens were thinking about. 

You were pulled out of your thoughts when a dog walked by. Oh no, it was so cute. It was looking at you. Don’t freak out. Omigosh its tongue lolled out, you were dying it was too much. You made a soft whining noise as the dog and its owner walked into the adjacent shop. You looked at the shop to see the lettering on the unassuming facade of the building.

‘Happy Paws Pet Shelter’ It read.

“Your ice cream is melting,” Russel told you, following your gaze. Your eyes widened and you looked down to see that it was, in fact, melting. You made an alarmed noise and began eating it quickly to stop the melt. Russel gestured to the pet shelter.

“I’m guessing you like animals.” He stated and you nodded, a bit embarrassed by your blatant staring earlier.

“Yeah, I love them!” You answered, finishing your ice cream and wincing at the cold against your teeth.

 

“Done?” You asked Russel, reaching for his empty cup. He nodded and thanked you while you took both containers to the nearby garbage can. You walked back to Russel, casting one last longing glance toward the shelter. You met eyes with Russel and smiled.

“Ready to go?” You asked him, he looked over at the shelter.

“Do you want to go inside and look at the animals?” He asked knowingly. Yes, yes, yes, yes you did! Act cool, though. He doesn’t need to see you be any weirder.  
“That would be great!” You squeaked, clasping your hands together at your chest.

…. Nailed it.

He chuckled and you followed him into the building. The inside waiting area was home-y, and one corner of the room there was a glassed-off area with a cat lounging on a cat tree. You both walked up to the lady at the reception desk. She looked up and smiled at you.

“Hi, what can I do for you?” She asked, smiling. You shuffled your feet and smiled at her.

“I was wondering if there was any way we could possibly pet the animals?” You asked, glancing at Russel. The lady looked at the two of you and called back to her colleague in the back.

“Sammy! This lovely couple wants to pet the animals! Can you come here for a second!” The lady called.

A young man came around the corner and fixed his glasses. His black shirt was littered with animal hair and he smiled at the two of you.

“Oh yeah sure, I was just brushing Sprinkles. Little fella hates the brush.” He chuckled. He looked at the two of you. He handed you a clipboard, you quickly read it over and signed that no, you weren’t deathly allergic, and no, you weren’t gonna sue if the animals accidentally hurt you.

“Follow me.” He said and you shared a look with Russel. Sprinkles? How ironic. 

“So,” Sammy (you presumed) started, “You two in the avenue to adopt an animal? We’ve got cats and dogs of all ages right now. Do you guys want to see the cats or the dogs?” He asked.

“Could we maybe see both?” You asked. He smiled at you.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. The animals love visitors.” He said and stopped in front of a door with a cat decal.  
.  
.  
.  
This had not been the plan. This was the opposite of the original plan. You just wanted ice cream. Well, now you were currently sitting on the passenger side of Russel’s car, with a cat on your lap. An orange tabby cat named Sprinkles.

In the back seat was all sorts of pet supplies for a cat, and from your lap, you could hear Sprinkles purring loudly.

“Russ…?” You asked after a whiles’ pause. He hummed.

“Did… did we just adopt a cat?” You ask slowly. Because yes, yes you have adopted a cat with Russel. Sammy had put your name on Sprinkles’ ‘birth certificate’ as the ‘proud mama’ and Russel as the 'proud papa'. Now the kitten was purring and you were scratching his ears.

“Yeah, ….we did.” He confirmed.

“Will you be okay with him on your drive back?” You asked a bit concerned about your new furry friend. Russel chuckled and reached over, fingers accidentally brushing over yours in his attempt to pet Sprinkles. The kitten meowed and pushed his face against Russel’s hand.

“Animals don’t usually like me.” Russel admitted, “On account of the whole possessed business. Animals are very keen when it comes to spirits and apparitions.” He explained. He paused, looking like he wanted to say something more. You waited patiently for him to continue.

“I know this was a rash decision, but uh… I’ve always wanted a pet… Animals don’t usually like me.” He said, a little embarrassed. You looked at his face, studying his profile.

“That’s rough… At least human-wise you are very likable.” You reasoned. He smiled.

“Yeah, mostly they just like my music, though.” You patted his hand on the steering wheel with a soft chuckle.

“Gotta admit, though, your music is pretty likable.” You complimented. There was a beat of silence and barely held in a squeal of delight when you felt Sprinkles’ sandpaper tongue darted out over your fingers.

“Noodle is gonna freak out…” You mused after a moment. You looked up at the road and noticed you were nearing your flat. You sighed in disappointment. 

“What’s wrong?” Russel asked. You pursed your lips, humming in thought.

“S’nothing, I’m still worried, and now I don’t want to part with this little fella…” You admitted, “But, are you sure you’ll be okay if there are reports published? I don’t wanna ruin your reputation.”

He sighed and rubbed his temple.

“Honestly, it’s you I’m worried about. We get journalists trying to tear us down all the time, and I always have my hands full when it comes to Mudz and his publicity. I can handle this on my end no problem, but you? I… I don’t know, this might not turn out so well. But, none of that has happened yet. This is the kind of thing you deal with when you get to it.” He tapped his fingers on the wheel and parked the car next to your flat. It seemed that Marilynn and Alaina weren’t home yet.

They were probably eating dinner to celebrate. You looked out at the setting sun. ‘This is the kind of thing you deal with when you get to it.’

….Then you’d deal with it if and when you needed to. You lifted Sprinkles up and kissed his forehead. He meowed in protest and you put in him Russel’s lap.

“Thanks for coming to the play with us, Russel.” You said.

“Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun. You should come over again, soon, to check on Sprinkles.” He offered and you smiled, meeting his pristinely white eyes. You glanced down at his slightly upturned lips and wondered what it would be like to kiss him, for him to kiss you. You licked your lips and looked back up at his eyes. His eyebrows crept up as he caught your action. Your heart stuttered at the bluntness of your actions and you quickly diverted your gaze out the window behind him. You opened your mouth to speak as you counted the cars passing by to avoid looking at his face… Red car, white car, gray car, black car. 

“‘Course.” You choked out with an awkward smile. He chuckled lowly.

“Ya want me to walk you up to the door?” He offered, and you shook your head.

“No thank you, I think I’ll be okay.” You waved off his offer, heart still fast at the thought of pressing your lips against his… You shooed the thought away quickly. You were friends! Friends! He was way out of your league, anyway. He was a literal celebrity.

You grounded yourself in this thought. You had no chance with him.

“I… Bye, Russ, I’ll text you soon, okay?” You unbuckled your seatbelt.

“See you later. Be careful, okay?” You nodded and crossed the gap to give him a hug, carefully minding Sprinkles. He wrapped you up in a fleeting, yet tight embrace. You pulled away, a bit reluctantly, blew Sprinkles a kiss and smiled at Russel.

“‘Course.” You repeated and opened up the door, making sure you hand everything as you got out, shutting the door behind you. You took a deep breath and steadied your hands and you pulled out the keys. When you unlocked the door you turned and waved to Russel as you opened it. He returned the gesture and pulled away.

You locked the door behind you and turned on the living room light, blowing out a deep breath. You rubbed your temples and made your way to the kitchen, not bothering to turn on the light in the small space. Pulling out some minute rice and some leftover Chinese food, you grabbed out a small pot and boiled some water, putting the leftovers in the microwave. You leaned against the counter as you recalled the events of the day.

The stove clicked softly as it heated. So much had happened. You sighed deeply. Were you in over your head? If a story was published, what would it say? What would you do?

You stayed in the quiet, dim kitchen, contemplating the whirlwind of events that led you to this point. The microwave dinged and you added the rice into the boiling water, taking it off the heat and covering it with a plate.

You plated your food, grabbed a glass of juice and seasoned your vegetables accordingly. You pulled your phone out of your back pocket and read the new text from Mary, munching on a piece of broccoli.

‘We’ll be home late, going over to Jeff’s for a bit. I hope Russel’s cat is okay. There are leftovers in the fridge if you’re hungry.’ and all the jazz. You typed out a reply and checked on your rice. It was good enough. You served yourself, added seasonings. Bam, dinner.

You went to your room, promising yourself that you’d wash all the dishes in the morning. You shut the door behind you and lied on your bed, tucking into your meal.

You pulled on your headphones and put on a Gorillaz song, of course. You easily picked out the beat and thought back to when you watched them practice. He was so skilled with the drums…

You flopped your face into your pillow and screamed into it. No! No! No! You were not falling for Russel Hobbs! You were not falling for Russel Hobbs! You remembered the car when you could’ve kissed him, you remembered waking up next to him, his skin a wash of rose from the early morning light. You sucked in a breath and sat up, pushing your rice around and listening to the baseline of the probably too loud music in your ears. You scrunched up your eyebrows in dismay.

Fuck, you were falling for Russel Hobbs.


	11. FAMOUS PERCUSSIONIST RUSSEL HOBBS AND HIS NEW BOYFRIEND?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You go to work and find an unpleasant surprise. You go to Greg's house and find four pleasant surprises.

Your alarm screeched over the music still in your ears.

You groaned and pushed off your headphones, rubbing your sore ears. You had work today, and you were not all that happy about it. You smacked your alarm off and crawled out of bed. You didn't really remember falling asleep, though.

You trudged over to your closet to grab your work uniform and pick up a towel, heading over to the bathroom.

Quick shower, brush teeth, comb hair, etc. You looked at yourself in the mirror and noticed the dark circles under your eyes. Probably from sleeping with music blaring in your ears all night. You opened the bathroom mirror and pulled out some concealer, masking the dark circles, and lastly you added a bit of mascara to look less dead.

You checked your phone, gathered up your stuff, grabbed a super quick bowl of cereal and headed out for work.

You pulled your jacket tighter around yourself to ward off the chilly morning air. You made it to the store and walked around to the side, unlocking the ‘Employees Only’ door with your key. You walked in and swapped out your coat for the black apron on the hook labeled with your name.

Your manager(and the owner) was already in, and she looked even more wiped out than you did. She looked up from her desk when you went in to check your duties list for the day. She smiled and wished you good morning. 

“Good morning, Maggie,” You wished back, before checking over the clipboard and briskly walking out. 

Unloading, stocking, and cleaning today. The usual. They might even make you do cashier work if they needed. With a little business like this, all the employees had to multitask a little bit to keep the place up and running.

The store didn’t open for another half hour, so you got to work unloading the new shipment for the morning into the stock room. Greg joined you a bit after, he nodded his head at you but didn’t say anything. He was absolutely not a morning person.

“Good morning to you, too, Greg.” You teased, and he mumbled the greeting back. He started helping to take the boxes out of the truck and soon, they all had been transferred to the floor. Now you just had to open all of the boxes and restock the shelves with the contents if necessary.

Greg sighed and wished you good luck as he walked towards the front to go work at the register. You called it out back at him and started opening the boxes. Soon after you heard the voices of customers coming in, and checking the clipboard, you loaded the boxes into a cart. Then you went out to stock shelves.

The next while was uneventful, labels out, neat rows, smile at customers, bruises down. When the contents of your cart dwindled down to a final few little boxes you relaxed your shoulders a bit. Just last minute teaser stuff for the front. Gossip magazines, candy, useless doo-dads.

You smiled at Greg who seemed more awake now. You chuckled when he leaned over the counter to see what you were stocking.

“Oh! I love that kind of gum. It’s my favorite.” He commented, sounding more like his normal self.

“Really?” You asked looking at the package in your hand. It wasn’t your favorite by far. You hummed in disagreement. He snorted. You put it on the shelf and continued stocking the packets.

“Psh, fine, agree to disagree?” He asked. You smiled at him in amusement. You grabbed another candy and began stocking those.

“Sure, why not. How was the weekend, Greggy-boy? Didja miss me?” You asked him.

“Of course, how do I get by without my favorite non-Englishman.” He teased. You heard him scuff his feet on the carpet.

“I totally got a cat.” You said out of the blue, “Well I ‘kinda’ got a cat with my friend.”

“What? That’s such a random thing to say. Congrats. What kind of cat is it?” He asked. Greg was more of a dog person you had found. Boy had like four beagles. Who has four beagles?

“Well, his name is Sprinkles and he is an orange Tabby cat. I’ve heard that boy orange tabbies are very dumb and I am very excited.” You joked. He chuckled.

“Of course, well they say animals reflect their owners. So if Mr. Sprinkles is dumb, I wonder what that says about you and your friend?” His eyebrow quirked up.

“I wonder what having four beagles say about you? That you have stumpy legs and floppy ears?” You laughed at the truth your words. Greg had gages in his ears, and he was pretty short for a guy. His neck flushed and he furrowed his brows.

“Har, har, yes I’m short, I know.” He grumbled, “But my babies are all perfect pups, and you know this.” He rebutted. You nodded at this truth, you’d gone over to his house once, and his beloved dogs were the sweetest creature ever.

You put the last chocolate bar on the shelf and collapsed the box. You pulled the other box and opened it with the box cutter. You opened the box and opened your mouth to talk. Nothing came out as you looked at the cover of the magazine.

Russel had a hand sliding off of your shoulder, you were smiling widely up at him, as he smirked down at you. From the angle the photo was taken, the two of you looked incredibly close together, your stance hinting at intimate.

“FAMOUS PERCUSSIONIST RUSSEL HOBBS AND HIS NEW BOYFRIEND?”

The headline boldly asked. You were pulled out of your wide-eyed dread by Greg calling your name at your prolonged beat of silence. Your shoulders jerked, and you quickly closed the flaps of the box.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Perfectly fine.” You stammered out, hand still pressing the box closed. Shit shit shit. What were you gonna do? This was on your to-do list for the day, and the owner wanted it done.

“Greg? How much do you think this box of magazines cost?” You asked him.

“...Are those the fancy Gossip magazines that we are always getting?” He asked after a moment. You nodded, and picked up the box, setting it down on the counter, but keeping it closed with your arm.

“The box said there’s like 30 in there.” You also added.

He paused before he punched the numbers into his calculator. Your chest clenched at the number. Because, fuck, that was expensive.

“What’s up, what’s wrong with the magazines?” He asked, reaching for the box. You unintentionally jerked it out of his reach again and he stood there a bit shocked.

You looked around but the only customers in the store were in the back hanging around the frozen section.

“Greg? Can you help me keep a secret?” You asked him quietly, dread and a bit of panic rising in your voice.

“I…” He looked at your face, “Yeah, what’s wrong?” He asked. You looked around again and opened the box, letting him see the cover.

“YOU KNOW-”

“Greg! Lower your goddamn voice!” You hissed. He dropped his voice down.

“You know fucking Russel Hobbs? From the Gorillaz? Only the hottest band right now? How the fuck? You’re dating a famous person?” He asked, questions running into each other.

“No! No! Yes, I know Russel, but we’re just friends, shit, fuck, we didn’t think these pictures would come out so soon.” You lamented. You looked down at the pictures, scanning the text. Another photo showed your face clearly.

“I can’t let anyone see these here. I, Greg, what do I do?” You asked desperately, shutting the box again. He rubbed his temples. He grabbed the box and hid it under the counter. 

“I’ll hide them here until the end of the day, but we’re gonna have to buy all of them to get Maggie off our backs.” Greg reasoned. You sighed and hugged him over the counter.

“You’re a good friend, Greg.” You said. He smiled.

“I know, and you’re totally going to tell me everything.” He said in a mock stern voice. You pulled a dumb face, rolling your eyes.

“Sure, sure, not much to tell though. I only met a ghost rapper and gave them pancakes.” You said casually. He choked, and you walked away, a devious smirk on your face.

“What? What?! Really?!” he called after you. You ignored both him and the curious gazes of the customers as you headed to the supply closet to grab the mop.

The rest of the day was uneventful, and only like one person was upset that all of the magazines were sold out, and you did have to work the register towards the end of it for the afternoon rush. 

When the end of the day rolled around, you got out your wallet, paid for the majority of the magazines, and Greg kindly paid for the rest. Gosh, you were gonna have to cut something else back this month. Could you live without snacks? Probably.

You loaded the box into Greg’s car, and he offered to have you come over after work to tell him the story. You got into his ford and shut the door behind you. He started up the engine and turned on the radio. You sighed and pulled your phone out of your jacket pocket, flipping it open and clicking on Russel’s contact.

You:  
I found a box of magazines at work today with our picture on the cover. 

The ride there was relatively quiet. Both you and your friend were quiet, wiped out from a long day at work. The car ride was relaxing, and you also sent a quick text to Alaina that you’d be home later.

Greg parked in the driveway of his rental. He turned off the engine and got out. He grabbed the box from the back of the car, which you took from him, citing that he’d have to unlock the front door. When he opened the front door his howl of beagles greeted the two of you exuberantly. 

“Hello, my loves.” You cooed at them lovingly as you set the box down on the floor next to his couch. You laid on your belly and soaked up the doggy lovin’ as they sniffed you and walked over your back.

“Traitors...” Greg mumbled as he went to the kitchen to get some food.

“Hey, do you want anything? I’m thinkin’ I’ll just heat up some chips?” He offered.

“Yes! French fries. I love french fries.” You teased, he scoffed. You made kissy noises at Honey, his correctly named elderly honey colored beagle. She licked your forehead as the darkest of the bunch, Archie, pushed his way under your armpit.

“They’re called chips ‘ere.” He corrected and stuck his head around the corner. He laughed and looked at his many pups.

“Guys! Don’t love him! He made fun of you earlier!” He tattled. You wrapped your arms around the other two, Minnie and Misty.

“No! I would never, I was makin’ fun of your daddy because he is soooo short. Just like your little nubby legs. Yes yes yes, and I looove your little nubbers. ” You said to them. The girls whined and licked your chin. Honey was done with the excitement and laid down on the couch. And Archie went and joined her. He was such a mama’s boy. So cute.

“Ohh, oh, ok, I’m gonna go help cook now.” You said, standing up. They jumped on your legs a few more times, before running over and playing with each other.

You walked into the kitchen. Greg was pouring himself a glass of juice. He held up the jug and you nodded, he grabbed down another glass and poured you a glass as well. The french fries were already in the oven.

“So,” he said, sipping his juice, “Tell me what’s up with you and literally being friends with a celebrity?” He inquired.

“It’s a long story….” You breathed and sat in the chair. Then, you recapped everything that’s happened to you lately in the ‘knowing a famous band’ arena.


	12. Wait wait wait! I can explain!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You couldn't avoid them forever.

"Oh so a normal day for you, then?” Greg snarked once you finished your story, “Why does everything interesting always happen to you?”

You shrugged and made an exaggerated ‘I don’t fucking know’ noise. You slumped in your seat and sighed, picking at your plate of french fries. Greg was bouncing his leg and you didn’t know why, but it was starting to annoy you.

“Greg, what do I do? How do I fix this? I just, I don’t know what to do in this situation!” You lamented in a high pitched whine. Greg swirled the last bit of juice in the bottom of his glass, shoving some fries into his mouth.

“You’re asking the wrong person. I don’t know what to do about this either. I mean, this isn’t your typical, ‘I locked myself out of my car’, or ‘I need to find a babysitter like right now’ ordeal.” He ‘helpfully’ pointed out with his mouth half-full. You rubbed the bridge of your nose to try and relieve some of your mounting stress. You didn’t even know exactly what this meant for you other than it would be very bad.

“I mean, Russ should know what to do here, or one of his bandmates, yeah?” You questioned aloud, trying to find a bright side.

“Yeah, probably, they must have been in this situation before,” He glanced at his tacky pineapple shaped clock, “But look at the time, it’s getting really late, and we have work in the morning.” He grumbled. You cracked a smile at his small misery, enjoying the simple normality of Greg hating mornings.

“Yeah, this seems like a sleep-on-it kind of situation.” You agreed. Greg took your glass and plate, carting them off to the sink. You stood up and stretched, longing for the sweet comfort of your bed. Greg rinsed the dishes and you followed him to the living room, where he grabbed his keys and wallet for the drive.

You quickly smooched his sleepy pups and told them goodbye before following him outside. The drive back was short, and you both were quiet throughout, stuck in your own heads.

He pulled up to the outside of your door and you thanked him quieter than intended and bid him goodnight. He drove off once you shut the door behind you and locked it. You creeped around through the room quietly, trying not to wake your roommates. You sighed and let your head rest against your door in a small moment of overwhelming panic.

You would have to tell your roommates about this. Better to hear it from you than from a magazine or gossip. You opened your door and got ready for bed, flopping down and getting comfortable in your mess of blankets. You looked at your charging phone and grabbed it. Squinting at the bright light of the tiny screen.

You clicked to Russel’s contact and began drafting a text. What should you even say?

You:  
Hey, Rus, I saw the photo mr creepy took on a magazine. What do we do?

You tapped send and put your phone back on the nightstand. You made sure your alarm clock was set and rolled over for some much needed shut eye.

You didn’t sleep very well. You kept waking up from stress dreams. When your alarm went off you thought you might cry in your frustration at your lack of good sleep. Being an adult sucked.

You pulled yourself up out of bed and grabbed a clean work uniform, going to the bathroom to get ready. The walk to work was uneventful.

Well, you wish that were true. On your way to work, you were waiting for the crosswalk to change when the lady standing next to you approached you.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bother, but do I know you? Your face seems kinda familiar.” She said. Your heart jumped into your throat. People couldn’t already know your face from the magazines!

“I work at the grocery store, so maybe you’ve seen me there!” You cheerfully countered. She made a face of approval at your answer and smiled at you, moving back to her spot a few steps away from you. You’d have to move to Australia, wouldn’t you?

The signal turned and you hurried your steps to put distance between the two of you. Your phone dinged in your pocket and you pulled it out.

Russel:  
Don’t worry, I’m working on it.

That’s all the text said. You guessed that that was comforting. But you kinda hoped that he would have gone into more detail on what he was doing to fix this mess. Your phone dinged again.

Russel:  
You should come over on your next day off. We can talk. Also, Sprinkles and Noodz miss you.

You giggled into your palm and closed out of the message. Your eyes caught the time and promptly widened. Augh! You were gonna be late at this rate!

Work was long. Too goddamn long. You had spent all day hiding your face behind the handle of a mop and cereal boxes, but it seemed that people were growing suspicious of you. Damn the Gorillaz and their good music and their subsequent fame. You also had to tactfully hide some magazines, because you couldn’t continue to buy up all the magazines with your face on them. You had to pay rent!!

You clocked out, said your goodbyes to Greggy boy and Maggie. You hurried home and hid behind the speakers of your discman.

Yes! Your front door, the home stretch. With a fumbling flourish of keys you unlocked the door, only to be met with a scene straight out of a comedy. Both of your roommates stood there, a magazine in hand. Oh no.

“What in the bloody ‘ell is this?!” Alaina asked you, looking supremely annoyed.

“Yeah, mind an explanation?” Mary chimed, showing you the cover of the magazine. You cringed.

“Wait wait wait! I can explain!” You frowned and pushed them towards the sitting area. You sighed, and yet again explained your predicament.

“So…” Mary mumbled, looking up at you with a fire in her eyes, “YOUR NOT DATE IS FAMOUS MOVIE STAR?????” She jumped up to her feet.

Alaina nodded proudly at you.

“Get you a sugar daddy.” She said approvingly. You frowned at their antics.

“He’s not my sugar daddy, he's my friend! And he’s not a movie star! He’s a musician, and a damn good one.” You trailed off at the end, admiration in your voice.

Mary chucked the magazine at you and you flinched away from it and shot her a pouty look. Damn your subpar reflexes. Your eyebrows furrowed when you say the picture. It was you and Russel with your ice creams. He was smiling gently at you as you looked away. Your breath got caught in your throat as you looked at the softness around his eyes.

“Same difference!” Mary snorted, opening her mouth to continue. You cut her off, fighting down the embarrassment threatening you at such an intimate looking picture. Time to turn the tables!!!

“Anyway! How long were you guys standing there like dorks waiting for me to get home!” You suck out your tongue at them.

“I bet you stood there for like 5 minutes!” You teased. You wouldn’t put it past them. Mary’s shifty glance made you laugh.

“Ohmygoodness, you guys totally waited like weirdos for me to come home.” You giggled.

“Ugh, don’t change the subject.” Alaina chastised you.

Ding Dong!

You looked at your roomies, you didn’t get many visitors. You held up a finger to them and walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it up.

“Hello?-” You started, but then you were blinded. Quick successions of light made you stumble back in confusion.

“It’s him! Look! This is the right address!”

“Excuse me! Excuse me!”

“How long have you been dating Russel Hobbs?!”

“What’s your secret for getting so close to the Gorillaz?!”

“How did you two meet?!”

The door slammed shut and you stood there in a daze as Mary locked it again and opened the window.

“If you don’t leave I’m calling the police! This walkway is private property!” She shouted out at them. She shut the window and closed the blinds with an angry huff. The swelling of people, the noise, and the flashing lights had put you in a light daze.

“How, how did they know… where we live?” You whispered in horror. What, they found you so quickly! And there had been so many!

You ran over to the couch and grabbed a throw pillow, pushing your face into it and screaming into it in frustration.

“That bastard!! He told them where we live!” You shouted angrily. How dare he! How dare he! Why couldn’t he have just let you be?

Alaina called your name softly, you looked at her and felt something inside of you crumble. The anticipation of this event had been building up on you for far too long. You clenched your fist to fight the despair.

“What am I supposed to do?” You asked aloud, your voice cracking. Alaina frowned and led you over to the couch, sitting you down. Your eyes were watering.

“I’ll make tea.” Mary said and went to the kitchen.

“Thanks,” You croaked and leaned back into the couch. How would you fix this mess?

Alaina turned on the TV to some kids cartoon and you smiled. Cartoons were the best for forgetting.

“I’ll get some blankets.” You sighed and got up going to the hall closet and loading up with soft blankets.

Your pocket started buzzing insistently. Who was calling you? Ugh, you didn’t want to pick up, but you balanced the blankets on one side and looked at the caller ID. It was Russel.

You set down the blankets and answered his call. You took a shaky breath.

“Russel?” Your voice cracked, “I-I-I-I-I don’t know what to do...!”


	13. Guess we're going through the friggin’ window.

God damn it all. You were practically sobbing, muffling the noises into your hand. It’s like the dam of stress and fear broke and you now couldn’t help yourself.

“Sweetheart? What’s wrong??” Russel called through the phone.

“I’m sorry, I’m fine, I-I-I-I-I’m fine. It’s okay!” You rambled, trying to convince yourself.

“You’re not okay, what’s wrong, please tell me what happened.” The concern in his voice made you choke on your tears for a moment.

“The-the… the paparazzi.” You said, taking a deep breath. You heard him curse under his breath.

“They found you?” He asked. You nodded and sighed a yes.

“They’re outside our front door. Mary chased them off the front path, though.” You wiped your face with your shirt. You took another shaky breath and managed to fight down the tears. You were an adult! You could handle this!

A low growl from Russel.

“Is there a back door? Or any entrance on the other side of your place? Even a window works.” He asked. You thought for a moment.

“The window in my room leads out back…” You answered. He sighed.

“I’m sorry. Shit, but you guys might have to climb out of your window to have a normal day.” He apologized. You groaned. There was a pause.

“Okay… I’ll tell them. But, Russ, why did you call in the first place?” You asked him. There was a pause from Russel, and it sounded like he was going to start a word and thought better of it.

“It’s null at this point.” He explained, rather vaguely. You huffed. Putting both hands on the phone and leaning into it, the slowly warming device felt nice on your cheek.

“You sure?” You pressed.

“Yeah, I'm sure.” He replied. You nodded. You wished he was here having this conversation, not on the other side of the phone.

Movement flickered in your vision and you looked over at it. Seeing Alaina peeking her head around the corner. You caught her eyes and nodded.

“Okay, I'm gonna go watch cartoons now…” You trailed off.

“‘’'Kay, sweetheart, have fun. Don't freak out. This is gonna blow over soon enough. N'don't let those bastards push you around.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Talk to ya later.” click! He hung up the phone.

You folded your phone with a click and put it into your pocket.

“...You okay?” Alaina asked once you stood and gathered up the blankets.

“Yeah, I think so. I just talked to Russel” You answered.

“What'd he say?” She asked, taking some of the blankets from you.

“Wait a sec, I don't want to explain it twice to Mary.” You said.

 

“I don't want to climb through a goddamn window!” Mary protested.

“I don't want to, either!” You counted, pulling your feet under the blanket to ward off the cold.

“But that's what Russ recommended. So I'm gonna do it if it means I can have a normal day.” You grumbled. What you really wanted was for none of this to be happening.

There was a stretch of silence between you three that was softly filled with the sounds of the TV.

“I'm sorry this is happening. This is all my fault. I should've known this would happen. Of course, this would happen eventually.” You apologized. They didn't respond right away, but finally, Mary said something.

“This isn't your fault. This is just the world we live in. Not everything is perfect and goes your way. We'll get through this.” She replied. Alaina nodded in agreement.

“Guess we're going through the friggin’ window.” Groaned Alaina.

 

Climbing through your window to get to work wasn't ideal, but it meant no one was hounding you with pictures. You had also taken to wearing douchey sunglasses during your commute and changing into your uniform when you got to work.

Greg was both amused and sympathetic at your new situation.

“Of course having to climb through a window is hilarious if you don’t have to do it!” You pouted as he chuckled into his hand. You glared at him from the aisle you were in as he leaned on the counter. You grumpily put a can of green beans on the shelf, pulling the other cans towards the front.

“I know, I know, sorry! That sucks, I get it. But what did your *ahem* friend say about it?” He asked. You sighed.

“He’s the one who told us to go through the window!”

“Oh, well. I mean, it’s working though, right?” He said, snatching a lollipop out of the 20p candy box. He tossed you one and you managed to catch it, you smirked and unwrapped it. You made an mmm noise when you popped it into your mouth.

“Yeah, but my roommates aren’t very happy about it. I feel so bad about it, it’s my fault they have to do this. They don’t even know Russ all that well! They met him like once, and that’s it.” You grumbled, finishing the green beans. You collapsed the box and walked towards the counter. Greg took it from you and shoved it into a box with other boxes in it.

“I mean, if you had known this would happen would you have tried to stop it?” He asked you.

“I value Russel’s friendship, and I would befriend him again, but I would have been more careful about being seen together. Ugh, that sounds fucked up, like I’m ashamed to be his friend. I’m not, but I’d like to not be badgered at my own house.”

Greg patted your back comfortingly.

 

You had to take the ‘scenic’ route home, as to avoid getting spotted by the journalists at the front of your flat. Climbing back through the window wasn’t as easy as climbing out of it, and once you got inside you put a chair underneath the window for easier access.

Three more days, and you could go see them again. You rummaged through your clothes and pulled out a comfy set of pajamas, opening up your phone and texting Russ what day you got off of work.

You walked to the kitchen and grabbed a quick snack, going back to your room and curling up under the covers. You put on your headphones and picked up your book.

Mary climbing in through the window woke you up and you turned over away from her. When had you fallen asleep?

“Sorry.” She apologized, shutting the window and creeping through your room.

“S’ok…” You mumbled, closing your eyes again. If Mary was here, then that meant Alaina must have already gotten home. You pushed your headphones off of your bed and fumbled around for your phone. You opened it and flinched at the light, cracking open one eye to check the time. Ugh, it was nearly eleven. You should eat some dinner. Brush your teeth, the like.

You frowned and pushed yourself up out of your bed, grabbing a fluffy robe, wrapping it around yourself. You trudged out into the living room and got out the bag of frozen tater tots. You set the oven and poured yourself a glass of juice. You leaned on the counter that divided the kitchen from the living room. Alaina was passed out on the recliner, and Mary was catching up on her cooking show.

“You want some tots?” You asked, yawning. Mary looked over and smiled.

“Yeah, sure, thanks.” She said, turning back and mumbling about how the batter was too watery.

You looked at the oven and shrugged, putting the tater tots on the baking sheet and popping them in, setting the egg timer. You walked to the bathroom. You brushed your teeth and took care of everything else. Feeling much cleaner and more relaxed, you joined Mary on the couch to watch the show with her until the food was done.

No! They were just about to announce who was going home when the egg timer went off. You jumped up and turned off the timer, setting the oven to broil to crispen the tots. You pulled them out when they were crispy enough and seasoned them. You platted them with ketchup and walked back out to the couch, offering the plate to share with Mary.

“Sorry, Susan went home,” Mary said. What the heck. Susan was your favorite.

Your phone buzzed and you flipped it open. It was Russel. You smiled and opened up his message. It was a picture!

You opened it up and your grin grew. It was Noodle wearing cat ears and holding Sprinkles like a baby, his paw pressing into her cheek. Her hair was all sorts of messy from her helmet but she looked like she didn’t have a care in the world.

Another text came in.

Russel:  
She wants to put bread on his face. But I’m not gonna let her. Sprinkles would be upset.

You giggled and Mary raised an eyebrow at you. You held up your finger to her.

You:  
Haha! I bet he would be.

You paused and glanced at the clock on your phone.

You:  
Also, why is she still up, Russ? It’s midnight. -_-

You sent the text and worried for a second that it was a bit much. He was her legal guardian, not you. You pursed your lips and decided to leave it. You went back and opened up the photo, showing it to Mary.

“She wants to put bread on Sprinkles’ face.” You said. Mary laughed.

“So that’s his cat? Pssh, I can’t believe they actually named a cat Sprinkles.” She said. You chuckled.

“Well, that was his name when he was at the shelter.” You explained. She nodded and your phone pinged again.

Russel:  
I know. I’m putting her to bed right now. Goodnight, sweetheart.

You sucked in a breath and covered it up by grabbing a tot and shoving it into your mouth. ‘Sweetheart’ he said. ‘Sweetheart’ he had been saying. It made your heart race. You pressed your phone to your lips and chewed slowly. You swallowed and tapped out your response.

You:  
Night Russ! Tell Noodle and Sprinkles I said goodnight.

You clicked your phone shut and reached for the tater tots. Time to see the next disaster unfold.


End file.
